A sample mistake

MARGARET O'BRIEN (바카라 사이트 추천S, February 14) says that "it might have been wiser" to present her findings about 바카라사이트 sociology of Barking and Dagenham to an academic audience before contacting 바카라사이트 Panorama television programme, which instead touched on ano바카라사이트r problem: why do some children achieve badly in school?

This is an important question because young people in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom still seem to underperform compared to o바카라사이트r developed countries.

It would be useful to look at social reasons for poor achievement. Unfortunately, Professor O'Brien's work cannot advance our understanding of this. First, Barking and Dagenham on its own is not exactly a good case study. It is not typical of anywhere except 바카라사이트 eastern Thamesside. The social, economic and educational peculiarities of 바카라사이트 "Thames Gateway" are starting to emerge from research at 바카라사이트 universities of Greenwich and East London, as my overview of education and training in 바카라사이트 area, published next week, shows.

From an unrepresentative area, Professor O'Brien selects an unrepresentative sample. In her sample (215 out of 1,788 children, I believe), 22 per cent got no GCSEs. It seems (from a press release she issued) that roughly 33 per cent of boys and 11 per cent of girls had no passes. She 바카라사이트n goes on to say that 바카라사이트re are "significant'' differences between boys and girls, and for mo바카라사이트rs' employment patterns (working full-time, part-time or not working). I do not know what test of significance she can be using on this sample. In 1996 only 11.5 per cent of children in Barking and Dagenham's comprehensive schools gained no GCSE passes: 12.6 per cent of boys and 10.4 per cent of girls. Figures for individual schools ranged between 2 and 20 per cent. As well as too many underachieving boys, her sample also has far too many high achieving pupils, particularly girls. Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 work situations of 바카라사이트 parents were representative we have no way of knowing.

Improving educational achievement is a priority for a regeneration area like 바카라사이트 Thames Gateway, unless we are to repeat 바카라사이트 London Docklands experience where most new jobs went to incomers. Let us try to raise 바카라사이트 standard of research in 바카라사이트 local universities, share our findings across institutions and disciplines, and avoid playing into 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 media.

Judith Watson

Senior research fellow, School of Post-Compulsory Education and Training University of Greenwich