The role of academic self-concept in post-compulsory achievement, transitions and labour market outcomes

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive statistics by academic self-concept (ASC) quintile.

	ASC Q1 (Lowest)	ASC Q2	ASC Q3	ASC Q4	ASC Q5 (Highest)
Percentage in each group:
Studying A levels	10.21	14.09	25.96	22.42	27.33
In Further Education	27.27	18.18	22.03	16.18	16.33
Attending university	9.67	13.09	25.3	22.24	29.69
Attending a Russell Group university	3.85	8.62	20.73	23.67	43.12
Studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths (inc. medicine)	7.77	11.46	24.47	21.17	35.15
Studying LEM subject (law, economics and management subjects)	10.24	12.42	25.27	23.53	28.54
Studying other social science, arts and humanities subjects	11.11	14.78	26	23.3	24.81
Studying other subjects	15.15	19.7	28.79	15.15	21.21
Not employed at 25	23.32	19.76	16.6	21.74	18.58
Income (£)
Mean weekly income at age 25	299.05	307.09	316.28	307.85	314.37

Source: University College London, UCL Institute of Education, Centre for Longitudinal Studies (2018).

Table 2. Odds-ratios from logistic regressions predicting educational transitions.

	Model 1	Model 2	Model 3	Model 4
	A level participation	Further Education Participation	Higher Education Participation #	Russell Group
Academic Self-Concept (Baseline Q1) Q2	1.48** (0.18)	0.90 (0.12)	1.09 (0.14)	1.21 (0.37)
Q3	1.81*** (0.21)	0.90 (0.12)	1.20 (0.14)	1.07 (0.30)
Q4	2.07*** (0.26)	0.84 (0.12)	1.25+ (0.15)	1.45 (0.41)
Q5	2.15*** (0.29)	0.98 (0.14)	1.45*** (0.18)	1.51 (0.41)
GCSE attainment (standardised z-scores)	3.44*** (0.14)	0.68*** (0.03)	2.06*** (0.07)	3.40*** (0.29)
Parental occupation (Ref: Higher Managerial)
Intermediate	1.02 (0.12)	1.08 (0.15)	0.92 (0.10)	0.92 (0.13)
Routine	0.94 (0.12)	1.13 (0.16)	0.89 (0.10)	0.86 (0.13)
Parental qualification (Ref: Degree or equivalent)
Other HE qualification	0.85 (0.12)	1.31+ (0.21)	0.96 (0.12)	0.57*** (0.10)
A Level	0.60** (0.09)	1.36+ (0.24)	0.74* (0.10)	0.54** (0.11)
GCSE A–C	0.54*** (0.07)	1.23 (0.18)	0.66*** (0.07)	0.43*** (0.07)
Level 1 and below	0.54*** (0.08)	0.86 (0.15)	0.64** (0.09)	0.62* (0.13)
Family income 13–17 (multiple of £10,000)	1.14* (0.06)	0.98 (0.06)	1.17*** (0.05)	1.07 (0.06)
Housing tenure (Ref: Owns/Mortgage)
Rent/ Other	0.87 (0.09)	0.88 (0.10)	0.70*** (0.07)	0.69+ (0.14)
Ethnicity (Ref: White)
Mixed	1.25 (0.24)	1.21 (0.25)	0.92 (0.17)	1.85* (0.50)
Indian	3.95*** (0.69)	0.87 (0.17)	5.17*** (0.82)	1.09 (0.22)
Pakistani	2.81*** (.050)	1.54* (0.28)	3.45*** (0.59)	1.03 (0.30)
Bangladeshi	3.73*** (0.78)	1.17 (0.28)	3.83*** (0.74)	0.83 (0.28)
Black Caribbean	1.62* (0.38)	1.15 (0.30)	2.62*** (0.60)	0.78 (0.39)
Black African	3.44*** (0.88)	0.65 (0.22)	4.19*** (0.97)	0.98 (0.37)
Other	2.90*** (0.70)	1.02 (0.27)	2.24*** (0.44)	0.73 (0.22)
Sex (Ref: Male)
Female	1.26** (0.10)	0.86 (0.07)	1.11 (0.08)	0.89 (0.10)
Special Education Needs (Ref: No SEN)
Special Education Needs	0.69* (0.13)	0.89 (0.15)	1.14 (0.22)	1.22 (0.43)
Independent school (Ref: Did not attend Independent School)
Independent School	2.38+ (1.06)	0.64 (0.30)	1.06 (0.30)	1.12 (0.34)
A levels (Ref: Did not take A levels)
A levels			3.49*** (0.31)	0.96 (0.26)
Constant	0.03*** (0.01)	0.40*** (0.09)	0.03*** (0.01)	0.00*** (0.00)
Pseudo R-squared	0.43	0.02	0.34	0.25
Observations	9575	9575	9575	3588

Notes: Standard errors in parentheses. Sign: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, + p < 0.10; # With A-level participation; The pseudo R-squared is calculated from the unweighted model.

Source: University College London, UCL Institute of Education, Centre for Longitudinal Studies (2018).

Table 3. Odds-ratios from multinomial logit regression predicting subject studied at university: compared to studying STEM (science, technology, engineering or maths) subjects.

Baseline STEM	Law, Economics, Management		Other Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities		Other
Academic Self-Concept (Reference Q1)
Q2	1.04 (0.27)		1.07 (0.22)		1.09 (0.51)
Q3	1.21 (0.28)		0.93 (0.17)		1.07 (0.48)
Q4	1.25 (0.30)		1.01 (0.19)		0.65 (0.32)
Q5	1.09 (0.26)		0.69+ (0.13)		0.68 (0.33)
GCSE attainment (standardised z-scores)	0.68*** (0.04)		0.79*** (0.04)		0.52*** (0.07)
Parental Occupation (Ref: Higher Managerial)
Intermediate	0.69* (0.12)		0.94 (0.12)		0.61 (0.23)
Routine	0.92 (0.16)		1.01 (0.14)		0.70 (0.27)
Parental Education (Ref: Degree or equivalent)
Other HE qualification	1.22 (0.24)		0.84 (0.12)		0.88 (0.39)
A Level	1.22 (0.28)		0.95 (0.16)		0.83 (0.45)
GCSE A–C	1.41+ (0.26)		0.77+ (0.11)		1.28 (0.55)
Level 1 and below	1.10 (0.24)		0.86 (0.16)		0.92 (0.48)
Family income 13–17 (multiple of £10,000)	1.08 (0.07)		1.00 (0.05)		0.89 (0.14)
Housing tenure (Ref: Owns/Mortgage)
Rent/ Other	0.98 (0.18)		1.17 (0.18)		0.96 (0.39)
Ethnicity (Ref: White)
Mixed	0.76 (0.27)		0.77 (0.19)		0.68 (0.52)
Indian	1.43+ (0.27)		0.44*** (0.08)		0.58 (0.28)
Pakistani	1.56+ (0.36)		0.28*** (0.07)		0.43 (0.28)
Bangladeshi	2.01* (0.55)		0.43** (0.12)		0.73 (0.52)
Black Caribbean	1.80 (0.67)		0.89 (0.29)		0.00 (0.00)
Black African	2.16* (0.75)		1.02 (0.32)		2.18 (1.29)
Other	1.45 (0.39)		0.39*** (0.10)		1.16 (0.67)
Sex (Ref: Male)
Female	1.60*** (0.20)		1.89*** (0.19)		1.09 (0.29)
Special Education Needs (Ref: No SEN)
Special Education Needs	0.93 (0.37)		0.82 (0.25)		0.78 (0.62)
Independent School (Ref: Did not attend Independent School)
Independent School	1.08 (0.44)		0.87 (0.26)		3.62* (2.19)
A levels (Ref: Did not take A Levels)
A Levels	1.52* (0.32)		1.23 (0.21)		0.89 (0.33)
Constant	0.66 (0.25)		2.12* (0.64)		1.48 (1.08)
Pseudo R-squared	0.04
Observations	3588

Notes: Standard errors in parentheses. Sign: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, + p < 0.10; The pseudo R-squared is calculated from the unweighted model.

Source: University College London, UCL Institute of Education, Centre for Longitudinal Studies (2018)

Table 4. Regressions predicting employment status and weekly income at age 25.

	Probability of not being employed at age 25	Weekly income at age 25
	OR	β
Academic Self-Concept (Ref Q1)
Q2	1.21 (0.25)	2.90 (1.98)
Q3	0.85 (0.18)	0.22 (1.88)
Q4	1.38 (0.29)	−1.30 (1.99)
Q5	1.27 (0.28)	−1.93 (2.05)
Constant	0.07 (0.02)	293.49*** (2.77)
Observations	4531	4531

Notes: Controls for: Prior attainment; parental class; parental education; family income 13–17; household tenure; ethnicity; gender; Special Education Needs; Independent School; A Levels; attended university; attended college. Standard errors in parentheses. Sign: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, + p < 0.10.

Source: University College London, UCL Institute of Education, Centre for Longitudinal Studies (2018).

University College London, UCL Institute of Education, Centre for Longitudinal Studies. (2018). Next Steps: Sweeps 1-8, 2004-2016 [ data collection] (14th ed.). SN: UK Data Service.

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