Book Review: Gary N Marks, Education, Social Background and Cognitive Ability: The Decline of the Social
In: Sociology: the journal of the British Sociological Association, Band 49, Heft 1, S. 199-201
ISSN: 1469-8684
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In: Sociology: the journal of the British Sociological Association, Band 49, Heft 1, S. 199-201
ISSN: 1469-8684
In: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziologie: Revue suisse de sociologie = Swiss journal of sociology, Band 49, Heft 2, S. 273-290
ISSN: 2297-8348
Abstract
This paper contributes to the sociological understanding of social class inequalities in childhood similarities test scores. We undertake a comparative analysis of two cohorts of British children born 30 years apart. There is a similar negative relationship in both cohorts. Children born in families in the less advantaged social classes have lower childhood similarities test scores. This is consequential because these children enter secondary school with restricted capabilities in logical thinking, concept formation and abstract reasoning.
In: The British journal of sociology: BJS online, Band 70, Heft 1, S. 90-108
ISSN: 1468-4446
AbstractThe 'Flynn effect' describes the substantial and long‐standing increase in average cognitive ability test scores, which has been observed in numerous psychological studies. Flynn makes an appeal for researchers to move beyond psychology's standard disciplinary boundaries and to consider sociological contexts, in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive inequalities. In this article we respond to this appeal and investigate social class inequalities in general cognitive ability test scores over time. We analyse data from the National Child Development Study (1958) and the British Cohort Study (1970). These two British birth cohorts are suitable nationally representative large‐scale data resources for studying inequalities in general cognitive ability. We observe a large parental social class effect, net of parental education and gender in both cohorts. The overall finding is that large social class divisions in cognitive ability can be observed when children are still at primary school, and similar patterns are observed in each cohort. Notably, pupils with fathers at the lower end of the class structure are at a distinct disadvantage. This is a disturbing finding and it is especially important because cognitive ability is known to influence individuals later in the lifecourse.
In: European sociological review, S. jcw060
ISSN: 1468-2672
In: The British journal of sociology: BJS online, Band 75, Heft 4, S. 535-553
ISSN: 1468-4446
AbstractThis study investigates structural inequalities in educational enjoyment in a contemporary cohort of United Kingdom (UK) primary school children. Foundational studies in the sociology of education consistently indicate that the enjoyment of education is stratified by social class, gender, and ethnicity. Analysing data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, which is a major cohort study that tracks children born at the start of the 21st century, we examine children's enjoyment of both school and individual academic subject areas. The overarching message is that at age 11 most children enjoy their education. The detailed empirical analyses indicate that educational enjoyment is stratified by gender, and there are small differences between ethnic groups. However, there is no convincing evidence of a social class gradient. These results challenge orthodox sociological views on the relationship between structural inequalities and educational enjoyment, and therefore question the existing theoretical understanding of the wider role of enjoyment in education.
In: British journal of sociology of education, Band 37, Heft 3, S. 350-370
ISSN: 1465-3346
In: Methodological innovations, Band 9, S. 205979911663800
ISSN: 2059-7991
The application of statistical modelling techniques has become a cornerstone of analyses of large-scale social survey data. Bringing this special section on key variables to a close, this final article discusses several important issues relating to the inclusion of key variables in statistical modelling analyses. We outline two, often neglected, issues that are relevant to a great many applications of statistical models based upon social survey data. The first is known as the reference category problem and is related to the interpretation of categorical explanatory variables. The second is the interpretation and comparison of the effects from models for non-linear outcomes. We then briefly discuss other common complexities in using statistical models for social science research; these include the non-linear transformation of variables, and considerations of intersectionality and interaction effects. We conclude by emphasising the importance of two, often overlooked, elements of the social survey data analysis process, sensitivity analysis and documentation for replication. We argue that more attention should routinely be devoted to these issues.
In: Methodological innovations, Band 9, S. 205979911664288
ISSN: 2059-7991
This article is a review of issues associated with measuring ethnicity and using ethnicity measures in social science research. The review is oriented towards researchers who undertake secondary analyses of large-scale multipurpose social science datasets. The article begins with an outline of two main approaches used in social surveys to measure ethnicity, the 'mutually exclusive category' approach and the 'multiple characteristics' approach. We also describe approaches to the use of ethnicity measures in cross-national comparative research. We emphasise the value of sensitivity analyses. We also encourage researchers to carefully consider the possible relationships between ethnicity and other important variables in order to avoid spurious interpretations of the effects of ethnicity.
In: Sociological research online, Band 18, Heft 1, S. 210-221
ISSN: 1360-7804
The term 'missing middle' has been used to describe the position of ordinary young people in youth research. There have been recent appeals for youth researchers to concentrate upon the lives of ordinary young people and to better document their educational experiences through the secondary analysis of large-scale social surveys. This paper presents a series of exploratory analyses that attempt to identify the school-level educational attainment and social characteristics of ordinary young people using contemporary survey data. We undertake a series of exploratory analyses of data from the British Household Panel Survey. These data cover the period directly after General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualifications were introduced. The dataset provides measures of school attainment and suitable individual, household and parental measures. We detect gender differences in school GCSE performance, with females outperforming males. There are some effects due to differences in parental education levels and household circumstances. There is a large group of young people who fail to gain any GCSEs, their attainment falls far short of benchmark standards, and has negative consequences. In contrast gaining a moderate level of GCSEs at school has a positive effect in relation to employment in early adulthood. Our analyses fail to convince us that there are distinctive, or discrete, categories of GCSE attainment. The evidence explored here persuades us that there are no crisp boundaries that mark out a 'middle' category of moderate GCSE attainment. We conclude that there are clear benefits to understanding school attainment as being located upon a continuum, and that measures which reflect the heterogeneity of GCSE performance as fully as possible should be preferred.
Cover Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- List of Contributors -- 1 Introduction -- PART I: MEASURING SOCIAL STRATIFICATION -- 2 Stratification Research and Occupation-Based Social Classifications -- 3 Measures and Dimensions of Occupational Stratification: The Case of a Relational Scale for Italy -- 4 A Relational Occupational Scale for Russia -- PART II: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION OVER THE LIFE COURSE -- 5 Cumulative Inequalities Along the Life Course: Long-Term Trends in the German Labour Market -- 6 Family Background and the Life Cycle Effects of Father's Class and Income -- 7 Social Stratification and Cognitive Ability: An Assessment of the Influence of Childhood Ability Test Scores and Family Background on Occupational Position Across the Lifespan -- 8 Intergenerational and Intragenerational Social Mobility in Britain -- PART III: DEMOGRAPHIC, INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGES -- 9 Ethnicity and Skilled Work in the United States -- 10 Occupation and Pay Across the Generations: The Labour Market Experience of Four Ethno-Religious Groups in Britain -- 11 The Labour Market Earnings of Minority Ethnic Groups in Great Britain and the USA (1990-2000) -- 12 The Relationship Between Social Stratification and First Birth in Scotland -- 13 Stratification, Work and Early Parenthood -- 14 Labour Market Returns to Tertiary Education in Post-Socialist Countries -- PART IV: POLITICAL AND POLICY RESPONSES TO STRATIFICATION -- 15 Labouring Under a Misapprehension: Politicians' Perceptions and the Realities of Structural Social Mobility in Britain, 1995-2010 -- 16 Security or Equality? The Difficult Reform of the Italian Welfare State
Wetlands are valuable habitats that provide important social, economic, and ecological services such as flood control, water quality improvement, carbon sequestration, pollutant removal, and primary/secondary production export to terrestrial and aquatic food chains. There is disagreement about the need for mosquito control in wetlands and about the techniques utilized for mosquito abatement and their impacts upon wetlands ecosystems. Mosquito control in wetlands is a complex issue influenced by numerous factors, including many hard to quantify elements such as human perceptions, cultural predispositions, and political climate. In spite of considerable progress during the last decades, habitat protection and environmentally sound habitat management still remain inextricably tied to politics and economics. Furthermore, the connections are often complex, and occur at several levels, ranging from local businesses and politicians, to national governments and multinational institutions. Education is the key to lasting wetlands conservation. Integrated mosquito abatement strategies incorporate many approaches and practicable options, as described herein, and need to be well-defined, effective, and ecologically and economically sound for the wetland type and for the mosquito species of concern. The approach will certainly differ in response to disease outbreaks caused by mosquito-vectored pathogens versus quality of life issues caused by nuisance-biting mosquitoes. In this contribution, we provide an overview of the ecological setting and context for mosquito control in wetlands, present pertinent information on wetlands mosquitoes, review the mosquito abatement options available for current wetlands managers and mosquito control professionals, and outline some necessary considerations when devising mosquito control strategies. Although the emphasis is on North American wetlands, most of the material is applicable to wetlands everywhere.
BASE
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit researchers' plans, discussion swiftly turned to adapting research methods for a locked-down world. The 'big three' methods – questionnaires, interviews and focus groups – can only be used in a few of the same ways as before the pandemic. Researchers around the world have responded in diverse, thoughtful and creative ways – from adapting their data collection methods, to fostering researcher resilience and rethinking researcher-researched relationships. This book, part of a series of three Rapid Responses, showcases new methods and emerging approaches. Focusing on Response and Reassessment, it has three parts: the first looks at the turn to digital methods; the second reviews methods in hand and the final part reassesses different needs and capabilities. The other two books focus on Care and Resilience, and Creativity and Ethics. Together they help academic, applied and practitioner-researchers worldwide adapt to the new challenges COVID-19 brings
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), Band 119, Heft 44, S. 1-8
This study explores how researchers' analytical choices affect the reliability of scientific findings. Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. We broaden the lens to emphasize the idiosyncrasy of conscious and unconscious decisions that researchers make during data analysis. We coordinated 161 researchers in 73 research teams and observed their research decisions as they used the same data to independently test the same prominent social science hypothesis: that greater immigration reduces support for social policies among the public. In this typical case of social science research, research teams reported both widely diverging numerical findings and substantive conclusions despite identical start conditions. Researchers' expertise, prior beliefs, and expectations barely predict the wide variation in research outcomes. More than 95% of the total variance in numerical results remains unexplained even after qualitative coding of all identifiable decisions in each team's workflow. This reveals a universe of uncertainty that remains hidden when considering a single study in isolation. The idiosyncratic nature of how researchers' results and conclusions varied is a previously underappreciated explanation for why many scientific hypotheses remain contested. These results call for greater epistemic humility and clarity in reporting scientific findings.