Three myths and two what ifs

Trevor Gale

National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education

Myth no. 1: low SES students dont aspire to attend university

Two studies on school students aspirations for university study School students in Melbournes western suburbs (Bett et al. 2008) Year 10-12 Australian students surveyed in 1999 (James et al. 2008)

% low SES 68 42

% medium SES 71 -

% high SES 81 70

The largest group of university outreach programs targeting low SES students in Year 10 is focused on raising students aspirations (Gale et al. 2009, in press) How Young People are Faring: teenagers from poor backgrounds (those in low SES families) are three to four times more likely as those from wealthy backgrounds (those in high SES families) to leave school without completing year 12 or its equivalent (Lamb & Mason 2008: 48).

Myth no. 2: increases to equity are a threat to quality

DEEWR data: the success rate (or tendency to pass their years subjects) of low socio-economic status students is 97 per cent of the pass rates of their medium and high socio-economic status peers (Bradley et al. 2008: 30).

LSAY data: If students from a low socio-economic background get to university, their background does not negatively affect their chances of completing the course (Marks 2007: 27).

Myth no. 2: increases to equity are a threat to quality

Monash: students from relatively disadvantaged schools, who gain lower ENTERs in Year 12, subsequently catch up to, and then overtake their more privileged counterparts from other school types once at university (Dobson & Skuja 2002: 61)
Monash: ENTER is not a particularly good predictor of performance in information technology, creative arts, the humanities or business courses and is a poor predictor of performance in the health and education areas (Dobson & Skuja 2002: 61) UniSA: once students gain entry they have a high rate of retention and in most cases perform as well or better than other school leavers (Tranter et al. 2007: 14) Edith Cowan: Dobozy, E. (2008) Alternative pathway entry students show promising start in teacher education. AARE Conference, Brisbane. UWA: Win R. & Miller P. (2005) The effects of individual and school factors on university academic performance. Australian Economic Review 38(1): 1-18.

Myth no. 3:VET to HE pathways are predominantly travelled by low SES students
Wheelahan (2009: 11). Table 3: overall basis of admission of commencing under-graduate students in Australian public universities by SES in 2007 Basis for admission % in category* % low SES % middle SES % high SES

Other basis
Prior HE Prior school Prior VET Mature age special entry Total

11.6
23.2 46.8 10.1 5.5 97.1

20.0
14.7 16.2 20.0 27.0 17.4

49.5
46.1 47.1 51.8 52.1 48.0

28.3
37.1 35.6 27.0 20.0 33.1

*Doesnt equal 100% because very small categories were excluded. Source: unpublished DEEWR (2008b) student statistics basis of admission & highest prior qualification for domestic commencing under-graduate students 2005 2007.

What if no. 1: what if we count the benefits as well as the costs?

industry: from 2010, the overall demand for people with higher education qualifications will exceed supply (Access Economics in Bradley et al 2008: 9).
nation: nexus between tertiary education participation and productivity (Bradley et al 2008: 4); the economys growth rate in the future will depend on increasing our productive capacity (Quality Education 2000: 7)

k-economy: tertiary education is a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy (OECD 2008: 23)
universities: 40% attainment target by 2020; financial incentives to seek out and enrol a broader group of students includ[ing] people from low socio-economic backgrounds, those from regional and remote areas and Indigenous people (Bradley et al 2008: 21-22). societies: higher levels of health, wellbeing (WHO 2008), volunteerism, political and social engagement (Dusseldorp Skills Forum 2000), salaries (and taxes), and lower levels of incarceration (Baum & Payea 2004).

What if no. 1: what if we count the benefits as well as the costs?

If the [higher education] system deals unjustly with some of its [students], they are not the only ones to suffer. The quality of education for all the others is degraded. (Connell 1993: 15) Indigenous people do not come empty handed to Australias higher education system but bring significant strengths, both in knowledge capital and human capital that enriches higher education in Australia (Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council submission to the Bradley Review, 2008: 2).

Diminished equity is a threat to quality

What if no. 2: what if we deepen & broaden our measures of applicants capacities to undertake university study?
What if we generalize to all applicants alternative ways of demonstrating capacity for university study? What if we were to ask for recommendations about applicants from schools? (e.g. UNE have been accepting students on school recommendations for at least 20 years) What if we were to reintroduce interviews? What if we required applicants to submit a portfolio of achievements, with ENTER scores as just one component? What if we were to re-weight students ENTER scores, relative to the advantage and disadvantage afforded them by schooling, society and economy?