Christopher J Playford
Biographic Data
| ID | 283646 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Christopher J Playford |
| GIVEN NAMES | Christopher J |
| FAMILY NAME | Playford |
| SIGNATURE | PLAYFORD C J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Edinburgh |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6069-4898 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 60 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Moving for opportunities? The occupational destinations of 25-year-olds from rural and coastal areas in England
There is considerable interest in the extent to which young people are occupationally mobile in comparison to their parents and the role of education. While previous studies have considered the geography of the young person’s home origin or their geographical mobility, they have not combined these. In this study, we supplement the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England dataset (n = 4893) from 2015 with two additional derived measures – urb…
Understanding changing patterns of placement type stability in the first two years of placement for looked after children in Scotland
Ambivalent Agents
This article examines civil society organisations working to enhance social mobility in England, especially through higher education. Against the backdrop of neoliberal governance, we investigate whether these organisations operate as protective counter-movements resisting marketisation or as institutional mechanisms that stabilise the inequalities they aim to address. Drawing on Karl Polanyi's concept of the 'double movement' and Nancy Fraser's …
Vignette Research
Vignette research is an innovative qualitative, narrative and phenomenological research methodology that has gained international recognition, sparking interest from a wide range of individuals and institutions in global contexts. Vignettes are concise narratives, which capture human experiences in real life settings. They reveal surprising or intriguing facets and intangible moments. The experiential narratives resonate with readers and reduce t…
Coast and City, It Matters Where You Live
Progression to higher education in England varies markedly by region, with lower rates of participation outside of London. While some previous studies have explored challenges in accessing higher education in rural and coastal areas, there is a lack of research which considers both individual-level and geographic effects in relation to regional variations in HE progression. In this study, using multivariate regression analysis, we examine whether…
Social class inequalities in educational attainment
There is a plethora of measures of social class, and social stratification more widely. Occupation-based measures are most frequently used in social stratification research, although more recently the propriety of such approaches have been questioned. An emerging school of thought advocates the use of more culturally based measures as the most appropriate indicators of an individual’s social class position, an argument predominantly influenced by…
Social class inequalities in Scottish school qualifications
The qualifications that British children gain at school are strong determinants of their futures in both education and the labour market. Studies of the relationship between parental social class and children’s outcomes in school qualifications report the general finding that pupils from families in less advantaged social classes on average have poorer outcomes. This paper investigates social class inequalities in Scottish school qualifications. …
Socioeconomic disadvantage, fetal environment and child development
Socioeconomic position predicted hearing and language, vision and fine motor, and social development but not gross motor development. For children of parents without educational qualifications, fetal environment appears to contribute to a part of the socioeconomic gradient in child development abnormalities but post-natal environment appears to still explain the majority of the gradient and for other children most of it
Be(ing) prepared
BACKGROUND: Mental health is a major concern in many countries. We explore whether youth participation in the Scouts and Guides could protect mental health in later life and in particular whether it might reduce inequalities in mental health associated with early life socioeconomic position. METHODS: Using the 1958 birth cohort National Child Development Study, we tested whether Scouts-Guide attendance was associated with mental health (SF-36, Me…
Parental socioeconomic influences on filial educational outcomes in Scotland
In Britain there have been manifest changes in the management and organisation of education, but despite these developments there are still persistent inequalities in pupils’ educational outcomes. These inequalities are consequential because school qualifications are known to influence both pupils’ immediate continuation in education, and their later educational and occupational outcomes. The Scottish school system is similar to the system in Eng…
Administrative social science data
Powerful new social science data resources are emerging. One particularly important source is administrative data, which were originally collected for organisational purposes but often contain information that is suitable for social science research. In this paper we outline the concept of reproducible research in relation to micro-level administrative social science data. Our central claim is that a planned and organised workflow is essential fo…
The role of administrative data in the big data revolution in social science research
The term big data is currently a buzzword in social science, however its precise meaning is ambiguous. In this paper we focus on administrative data which is a distinctive form of big data. Exciting new opportunities for social science research will be afforded by new administrative data resources, but these are currently under appreciated by the research community. The central aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges associated with admini…
The concealed middle? An exploration of ordinary young people and school GCSE subject area attainment
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the standard qualification undertaken by pupils in England and Wales at the end of year 11 (age 15–16). GCSEs continue to play an important and central role in young people's educational and employment pathways. Within the sociology of youth, there has been recent interest in documenting the lives and educational experiences of ‘ordinary’ young people. In this paper, we analyse school GCSE …
Culture and the Scottish Household Survey
In 2007 the Scottish Government introduced an outcomes based approach to culture set within a National Performance Framework. One of the main data sources to measure “culture” in Scotland is the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). In this article, the SHS and its “Culture and Sport” Module are explored to show how useful the data is within the Scottish Government's economic agenda. This way, the paper reflects on the usefulness of the main data sour…
The role of administrative data in the big data revolution in social science research
The term big data is currently a buzzword in social science, however its precise meaning is ambiguous. In this paper we focus on administrative data which is a distinctive form of big data. Exciting new opportunities for social science research will be afforded by new administrative data resources, but these are currently under appreciated by the research community. The central aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges associated with admini…
The concealed middle? An exploration of ordinary young people and school GCSE subject area attainment
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the standard qualification undertaken by pupils in England and Wales at the end of year 11 (age 15–16). GCSEs continue to play an important and central role in young people's educational and employment pathways. Within the sociology of youth, there has been recent interest in documenting the lives and educational experiences of ‘ordinary’ young people. In this paper, we analyse school GCSE …
Social class inequalities in educational attainment
There is a plethora of measures of social class, and social stratification more widely. Occupation-based measures are most frequently used in social stratification research, although more recently the propriety of such approaches have been questioned. An emerging school of thought advocates the use of more culturally based measures as the most appropriate indicators of an individual’s social class position, an argument predominantly influenced by…
Administrative social science data
Powerful new social science data resources are emerging. One particularly important source is administrative data, which were originally collected for organisational purposes but often contain information that is suitable for social science research. In this paper we outline the concept of reproducible research in relation to micro-level administrative social science data. Our central claim is that a planned and organised workflow is essential fo…
Ambivalent Agents
This article examines civil society organisations working to enhance social mobility in England, especially through higher education. Against the backdrop of neoliberal governance, we investigate whether these organisations operate as protective counter-movements resisting marketisation or as institutional mechanisms that stabilise the inequalities they aim to address. Drawing on Karl Polanyi's concept of the 'double movement' and Nancy Fraser's …
Be(ing) prepared
BACKGROUND: Mental health is a major concern in many countries. We explore whether youth participation in the Scouts and Guides could protect mental health in later life and in particular whether it might reduce inequalities in mental health associated with early life socioeconomic position. METHODS: Using the 1958 birth cohort National Child Development Study, we tested whether Scouts-Guide attendance was associated with mental health (SF-36, Me…
Parental socioeconomic influences on filial educational outcomes in Scotland
In Britain there have been manifest changes in the management and organisation of education, but despite these developments there are still persistent inequalities in pupils’ educational outcomes. These inequalities are consequential because school qualifications are known to influence both pupils’ immediate continuation in education, and their later educational and occupational outcomes. The Scottish school system is similar to the system in Eng…
Culture and the Scottish Household Survey
In 2007 the Scottish Government introduced an outcomes based approach to culture set within a National Performance Framework. One of the main data sources to measure “culture” in Scotland is the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). In this article, the SHS and its “Culture and Sport” Module are explored to show how useful the data is within the Scottish Government's economic agenda. This way, the paper reflects on the usefulness of the main data sour…
Culture and the Scottish Household Survey
In 2007 the Scottish Government introduced an outcomes based approach to culture set within a National Performance Framework. One of the main data sources to measure “culture” in Scotland is the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). In this article, the SHS and its “Culture and Sport” Module are explored to show how useful the data is within the Scottish Government's economic agenda. This way, the paper reflects on the usefulness of the main data sour…
The concealed middle? An exploration of ordinary young people and school GCSE subject area attainment
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the standard qualification undertaken by pupils in England and Wales at the end of year 11 (age 15–16). GCSEs continue to play an important and central role in young people's educational and employment pathways. Within the sociology of youth, there has been recent interest in documenting the lives and educational experiences of ‘ordinary’ young people. In this paper, we analyse school GCSE …
Parental socioeconomic influences on filial educational outcomes in Scotland
In Britain there have been manifest changes in the management and organisation of education, but despite these developments there are still persistent inequalities in pupils’ educational outcomes. These inequalities are consequential because school qualifications are known to influence both pupils’ immediate continuation in education, and their later educational and occupational outcomes. The Scottish school system is similar to the system in Eng…
Administrative social science data
Powerful new social science data resources are emerging. One particularly important source is administrative data, which were originally collected for organisational purposes but often contain information that is suitable for social science research. In this paper we outline the concept of reproducible research in relation to micro-level administrative social science data. Our central claim is that a planned and organised workflow is essential fo…
The role of administrative data in the big data revolution in social science research
The term big data is currently a buzzword in social science, however its precise meaning is ambiguous. In this paper we focus on administrative data which is a distinctive form of big data. Exciting new opportunities for social science research will be afforded by new administrative data resources, but these are currently under appreciated by the research community. The central aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges associated with admini…
Socioeconomic disadvantage, fetal environment and child development
Socioeconomic position predicted hearing and language, vision and fine motor, and social development but not gross motor development. For children of parents without educational qualifications, fetal environment appears to contribute to a part of the socioeconomic gradient in child development abnormalities but post-natal environment appears to still explain the majority of the gradient and for other children most of it
Be(ing) prepared
BACKGROUND: Mental health is a major concern in many countries. We explore whether youth participation in the Scouts and Guides could protect mental health in later life and in particular whether it might reduce inequalities in mental health associated with early life socioeconomic position. METHODS: Using the 1958 birth cohort National Child Development Study, we tested whether Scouts-Guide attendance was associated with mental health (SF-36, Me…
Social class inequalities in educational attainment
There is a plethora of measures of social class, and social stratification more widely. Occupation-based measures are most frequently used in social stratification research, although more recently the propriety of such approaches have been questioned. An emerging school of thought advocates the use of more culturally based measures as the most appropriate indicators of an individual’s social class position, an argument predominantly influenced by…
Social class inequalities in Scottish school qualifications
The qualifications that British children gain at school are strong determinants of their futures in both education and the labour market. Studies of the relationship between parental social class and children’s outcomes in school qualifications report the general finding that pupils from families in less advantaged social classes on average have poorer outcomes. This paper investigates social class inequalities in Scottish school qualifications. …
Coast and City, It Matters Where You Live
Progression to higher education in England varies markedly by region, with lower rates of participation outside of London. While some previous studies have explored challenges in accessing higher education in rural and coastal areas, there is a lack of research which considers both individual-level and geographic effects in relation to regional variations in HE progression. In this study, using multivariate regression analysis, we examine whether…
Vignette Research
Vignette research is an innovative qualitative, narrative and phenomenological research methodology that has gained international recognition, sparking interest from a wide range of individuals and institutions in global contexts. Vignettes are concise narratives, which capture human experiences in real life settings. They reveal surprising or intriguing facets and intangible moments. The experiential narratives resonate with readers and reduce t…
Understanding changing patterns of placement type stability in the first two years of placement for looked after children in Scotland
Ambivalent Agents
This article examines civil society organisations working to enhance social mobility in England, especially through higher education. Against the backdrop of neoliberal governance, we investigate whether these organisations operate as protective counter-movements resisting marketisation or as institutional mechanisms that stabilise the inequalities they aim to address. Drawing on Karl Polanyi's concept of the 'double movement' and Nancy Fraser's …
Moving for opportunities? The occupational destinations of 25-year-olds from rural and coastal areas in England
There is considerable interest in the extent to which young people are occupationally mobile in comparison to their parents and the role of education. While previous studies have considered the geography of the young person’s home origin or their geographical mobility, they have not combined these. In this study, we supplement the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England dataset (n = 4893) from 2015 with two additional derived measures – urb…
Sociology (8 works) · Political science (7 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Demography (4 works) · Inequality (4 works) · Social class (4 works) · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics (4 works) · Demography (3 works) · Education Systems and Policy (3 works)