The influence of context on attainment in primary school: interactions between children, family and school contexts
(2008) Kathryn Duckworth
Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No.28
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Growing awareness of the importance of parents and the home
environment in shaping children’s achievement, coupled with the recognition of
the school as a site for engagement in broader aspects of social and personal
development, has raised interest in the interactions between these different
influences as a way of addressing issues of educational attainment and
inequality. This study explores the nature of these links and considers the
relative contribution of different aspects of four different ‘contexts’ or
likely spheres of influence on pupil achievement in England at Key Stage 2 (age
10/11), as well as their associations with one another.
The results highlight that the quality of each of the different aspects of their
lives is important for children’s attainment in primary school: pupils with
better contexts – i.e. better individual, school and family background and
experience – have higher scores in Key Stage 2 assessments in English, maths and
science. However, these contexts do not act in isolation, but are closely
related to one another, and their influence on children’s attainment is affected
by these interrelationships. Furthermore, these results indicate that the
interaction effects are greater for those with poor quality contexts. This
suggests not only that there is scope to narrow the gaps in educational
opportunity, but also that, where influence is possible, the greatest likely
returns are for those whose background and experience are poor.
Kathryn Duckworth is a Research Officer at the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, Institute of Education.
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