Abstract
This paper examines the question of how the high non-completion rates found amongst ethnic minority students in UK higher education should be interpreted. US studies examining the nexus between academic performance, ethnicity and social background have concluded that ethnicity-related performance differences are not just the by-product of social class. This study examines the nature of these linkages in the UK where the composition of the ethnicity mix and the nature of the socioeconomic environment are both markedly different from the US. The paper is based on a detailed case study of a cohort from a UK university that recruits a high proportion of its students from ethnic minority backgrounds. Prima facie evidence is found which questions the assumption that the under-performance of minorities should be treated predominantly as an ethnicity issue. It is found that after controlling for socioeconomic background, minority student non-completion rates are found to be very similar to those of their White peers. Further evidence is also uncovered which suggests that in practice there are considerable complexities in the ways in which ethnic differences impact on non-completion rates. From an educational policy perspective, it is argued that more effective results might be obtained if student support initiatives aimed at reducing the non-completion rates among minority student place a greater emphasis on issues relating to their socioeconomic background.
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Notes
Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators. http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,3746,en_2649_39263238_45897844_1_1_1_1,00.html. Access date: 16/01/2012. The survival rates represent the proportion of those who entered a tertiary-type ‘A’ programme and went on to graduate.
The attainment gap is defined as the difference between the proportion of White qualifiers who obtained a first or upper second class honours and the proportion of BME qualifiers who achieved the same level. Although the gap was found to have fallen marginally to 18% by 2008/09 in a later study (Equality Challenge Unit 2010) it remains highly significant.
Source: http://www.dius.gov.uk/news_and_speeches/speeches/past_ministers/bill_rammell/stewart. Access date: 10/02/2011.
This was used in order to differentiate between UK based home students and students based in other EU countries who are classified as home students.
A combination of two factors; incorrectly entered postcodes and where ethnicity data was not provided.
This is however questioned by Gittoes and Thompson (2007) who suggest that the differences found reflect inadequate model specification.
The socioeconomic background measure relates to the student’s home address and is derived from The Indices of deprivation for England, Wales Scotland and N. Ireland (various years). These indices are based on ‘super output areas’ (SOA). The measure used in this study is obtained by mapping the SOA against UK postcodes.
Tariff points are used to measure the academic ability of students on entry to the university. These are used in the UK in order to make comparisons between different pre-higher education qualifications.
Source: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/0920. Access date: 10/02/2011.
Nursing is not a high completion subject across UK higher education. For example, in 2008/09 non-continuation rates in ‘subjects allied to medicine’ were 8% compared to the sector average of 8.6% (Murphy 2010).
Eliminating the interaction effect terms from the model turns the coefficient positive and significant at the 10% level.
It can be noted that within the US another ethnicity-related explanation of the performance gap that has been identified is the ‘stereotype threat’. Steele (2010) argues that the impact of behavioural stereotypes relevant to African American students may offer an explanation of why drop-out rates of well-qualified African Americans are higher than for their White peers.
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Rodgers, T. Should high non-completion rates amongst ethnic minority students be seen as an ethnicity issue? Evidence from a case study of a student cohort from a British University. High Educ 66, 535–550 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9620-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9620-1