Curriculum choices and school-to-work transitions among upper-secondary school leavers in Scotland and Ireland

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of school-leavers by country and cohort (percentages).

	Scotland			Ireland
	1987–1989	1991–1993	2001–2005	1987–1989	1991–1993	2001–2005
Subject studied (1 or more)
English	80	86	84	99	99	98
Languages	23	21	24	66	70	76
Maths	57	51	62	99	99	99
Biology	23	32	32	45	44	43
Chemistry	38	33	28	19	13	11
Physics	33	30	28	23	21	14
Geography	25	27	22	37	40	54
History	25	24	21	33	29	22
Business	25	23	31	46	54	47
Technology	11	9	13	18	18	24
Cultural studies	38	46	54	34	28	32
Other studies	17	11	41	37	40	48
Total attainment point score (mean and SD)	171	195	230	420	448	493
	(141)	(145)	(156)	(197)	(202)	(214)
Activity status
In employment	47	36	27	33	21	30
In education/training	47	60	69	55	65	62
Unemployed/inactive/other	6	5	5	13	14	8
Occupational status
ISEI (mean and SD)	41.3	42.1	38.4	39.1	35.5	37.2
	(9.5)	(9.7)	(10.4)	(11.3)	(10.3)	(9.9)
Social classes of destination
ESeC 1-2: service	20	14	3	12	10	3
ESeC3-6: intermed	47	36	18	29	13	17
ESeC7-9: working	33	49	79	59	77	80
Total no. of cases (unweighted)^a	4296	3806	6322	2899	3100	2758

Source: Scottish and Irish School Leavers Surveys, weighted.

^a There are a few cases in which information on school attainment and subjects was missing in all cohorts: in Scotland 74 cases in cohort 1987–1989; 43 cases in 1991–1993 and 217 cases in cohort 2001–2005; in Ireland 64 cases in cohort 1987–1989; 55 cases in 1991–1993 and 428 cases in cohort 2001–2005.

Table 2. Logistic regression models of being unemployed or inactive as opposed to employed – Average Marginal Effects.

	Scotland		Ireland
	Model 1	Model 2	Model 1	Model 2
Total attainment point score (standardised)		0.012		−0.070***
Subject studied
English	−0.002	−0.005	-	-
Mathematics	−0.028**	−0.032**	-	-
Languages	−0.011	−0.016	−0.026	0.005
Biology	0.014	0.011	0.005	0.022
Chemistry	0.003	−0.002	−0.103***	−0.080*
Physics	0.036*	0.031^±	0.032	0.063*
Geography	−0.021^±	−0.024*	0.023	0.022
History	0.004	−0.000	0.030	0.030
Business	−0.037***	−0.041***	0.005	0.007
Technology	−0.017	−0.020	0.016	0.018
Cultural studies	0.020*	0.015	0.015	0.014
Other studies	0.024*	0.021	0.037^±	0.042^±

Note:

Models control for gender, parental social class, school type and cohort.

* p < 0.05

** p < 0.01

*** p < 0.001

^± <0.10.

Table 3. Linear regression analysis of occupational status (ISEI).

	Scotland		Ireland
	Model 1	Model 2	Model 1	Model 2
Total attainment point score (standardised)		1.15***		2.33***
		(0.30)		(0.31)
Subject studied
English	1.70***	1.38***	–	–
	(0.38)	(0.39)
Mathematics	1.34***	1.00**	–	–
	(0.34)	(0.35)
Languages	−0.62	−1.06*	1.80**	0.40
	(0.42)	(0.44)	(0.57)	(0.63)
Biology	−0.21	−0.46	−0.21	−0.91
	(0.38)	(0.38)	(0.54)	(0.58)
Chemistry	0.75	0.30	0.36	−1.53
	(0.42)	(0.44)	(0.83)	(0.88)
Physics	0.29	−0.12	1.53*	0.57
	(0.47)	(0.48)	(0.76)	(0.82)
Geography	−0.89*	−1.22**	0.36	0.13
	(0.38)	(0.39)	(0.52)	(0.55)
History	−0.003	−0.38	−0.04	−0.12
	(0.39)	(0.40)	(0.57)	(0.61)
Business	1.38***	1.01**	2.16***	1.60**
	(0.35)	(0.36)	(0.53)	(0.57)
Technology	−0.15	−0.49	−2.46**	−2.77***
	(0.50)	(0.50)	(0.81)	(0.87)
Cultural studies	−0.17	−0.61	0.58	0.08
	(0.32)	(0.34)	(0.55)	(0.58)
Other studies	0.06	−0.13	−1.31*	−1.56*
	(0.38)	(0.38)	(0.58)	(0.61)
Adjusted R^2	0.04	0.04	0.08	0.11

Note:

Models control for gender, parental social class, school type and cohort.

* p < 0.05

** p < 0.01

*** p < 0.001

Table 4. Logistic regression models of being in the service or intermediate class as opposed to the working class (only those whose main status is employment) – Average Marginal Effects.

	Scotland		Ireland
	Model 1	Model 2	Model 1	Model 2
Total attainment point score		0.070**		0.113***
Subject studied
English	0.087***	0.069***	–	–
Mathematics	0.068***	0.047**	–	–
Languages	−0.013	−0.039^±	0.118*	0.050^±
Biology	−0.022	−0.038*	0.025	−0.013
Chemistry	0.027	−0.001	0.066^±	−0.025
Physics	−0.028	−0.052*	0.030	−0.025
Geography	−0.028	−0.048**	0.008	−0.010
History	0.008	−0.015	0.019	0.004
Business	0.102***	0.080***	0.056*	0.027
Technology	−0.079**	−0.100***	−0.107**	−0.105**
Cultural studies	−0.005	−0.032*	−0.019	−0.038
Other studies	0.024	0.012	−0.010	−0.019

Note:

Models control for gender, parental social class, school type and cohort.

^* p < 0.05

^** p < 0.01

^*** p < 0.001

^± <0.10.