A tracking analysis of compact students within level 1 of their higher education programmes

Abstract

This article presents a tracking analysis of level 1 undergraduates who entered the University of Glamorgan through the Compact schools initiative. The Compact initiative aims to widen access to higher education by encouraging young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend a range of preparatory activities and by offering lower entry requirements to those who successfully complete the scheme. A total of 154 undergraduates from two academic sessions were divided into two equal groups: (i) compact students who entered the university through its widening access programme, and (ii) a matched pairs control group with the same entry grades, award schemes and entry year. Research queries aimed to address the issue of differential achievement at the end of level 1. Results showed that conversion rates for both cohorts were better than the university rate for that year, the compact group achieved a higher rate of ‘direct’ progression to level 2 and, although there were some differences by entry year, the overall distribution of grades for both groups was normal. Finally, a paired-samples t-test showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of averaged module marks at the end of level 1. Implications for the Compact initiative at the institutional level are discussed and suggestions are made for future research into the value-added nature of compacts.