School processes and the transition to higher education

Abstract

Abstract Previous research has indicated significant variation between schools in the proportion of their students who go on to higher education. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the specific school characteristics influencing application and entry to tertiary education. This paper sets out to analyse the individual and school factors which influence the transition to higher education in the Irish context. The paper draws on a large‐scale study of 4,400 students within 108 secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Almost three‐quarters of the students in the sample applied for a higher education course. However, schools varied in the application rates of their students. These differences are found to be related to the background characteristics of students (in terms of gender, social class and prior ability) along with the institutional habitus of the school. It is found that school factors associated with increased college application rates do not necessarily appear to yield higher rates of college entry but rather that successful entry to tertiary education is related to general academic effectiveness in the school. Acknowledgements This paper draws on data collected for a study of the take‐up of science subjects funded by the Department of Education and Science. The analyses and interpretations are the responsibility of the authors. Notes 1. The application process for some institutions varies for mature students. 2. Applicants apply directly to art college and are assessed on a combination of portfolio work and academic grades. 3. Students in their final year of school were also surveyed but are not analysed for the purposes of this paper. 4. Clancy's (Citation1999) study estimated that, of those who did not accept the CAO place they were offered, 9% entered a non‐CAO higher education course within the State while 12% entered a tertiary course outside the State. 5. The measure was scored from 1 to 4 with 1 indicating that teachers expect the student to leave at lower secondary level and 4 indicating they expect him/her to attain a degree. These responses were averaged within each school to give a composite measure of teacher expectations. 6. Orientation to higher education will also operate through informal processes including the reciprocal interaction between teacher and student expectations. 7. In 1997, 38% of secondary schools in Ireland remained single‐sex with considerable variation in the gender composition of coeducational schools. 8. Traditionally male engineering and other technical fields of study are over‐represented among sub‐degree courses compared with degree courses.