Emer Smyth
Biographic Data
| ID | 291296 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Emer Smyth |
| GIVEN NAMES | Emer |
| FAMILY NAME | Smyth |
| SIGNATURE | SMYTH E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Economic and Social Research Institute |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7077-2220 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 243 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Socioeconomic inequalities in teacher-student relationships at age 5
Teacher-student relationship quality has been found to be important for a range of educational outcomes. It appears to be associated with student socioeconomic background, but little is known about the processes driving socioeconomic inequalities in teacher-student relationships. In this paper we draw on cultural reproduction theory to suggest three mechanisms linking student socioeconomic background with teacher-student relationship quality: stu…
The impact of school social composition and neighborhood social mix on upper secondary exam performance in Ireland
There has been growing interest internationally in the extent to which school and neighborhood contexts make a difference to academic achievement. However, there can be difficulties in disentangling school and neighborhood effects in systems where schools operate on the basis of neighborhood catchment areas and/or where between-school tracking exists. In Ireland, in contrast, the degree of school choice at secondary school level in an untracked s…
Inequality in participation in shadow education in mathematics in Europe: An intersectional perspective
There is a growing body of research on participation in shadow education (SE), reflecting the global growth of this sector. However, less is known about the topic from an intersectional perspective. Drawing on TIMSS 2019 and PISA 2012 data for European countries, this paper explores the way in which social background, gender and migration background interact to shape participation in mathematics SE. Our findings show that across European Economic…
The first decade of teachers’ professional lives: A scoping review of research in the Republic of Ireland
Evidence points to the importance of teachers’ early career experiences in influencing their development, yet synthesised accounts that holistically capture evidence of teachers’ professional lives in the first decade of teaching is lacking. Framed by theoretical perspectives on teacher development, this scoping review sought to identify the extent and type of evidence in relation to primary, post-primary and further education teachers’ experienc…
Who chooses science? A longitudinal investigation of the role of primary and secondary school factors in shaping science enrolments in Ireland
Existing research on subject choices rarely takes a longitudinal perspective. Using data from the Irish Growing up In Ireland study, this article focuses on 6,036 students from age 9 through to age 17 to examine whether students’ early educational experiences predict later science subject choices. We extend our previous work in this area by exploring both primary and secondary school factors shaping enrolment in biology, physics, and chemistry wi…
Higher education retention in Ireland and Scotland: The role of admissions policies
This article provides new insights into the role played by higher education (HE) selection policies in influencing student retention by exploring drop-out patterns in Ireland and Scotland. The Irish and Scottish HE systems differ in relation to the emphasis placed on grades and subjects studied at school and to the degree of autonomy enjoyed by HE institutions in the student admissions process. We investigate whether these system differences matt…
Trajectories of Mental Health Difficulties from Childhood To Adolescence: Evidence from Growing Up in Ireland
Many mental health difficulties first emerge in adolescence and can have lasting impacts on later-life outcomes. In this paper, we focus on young people’s mental health difficulties, as measured by the internalising and externalising difficulties subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Using data from two cohorts of Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), we use group-based modelling techniques to examine how internalising and exter…
Fair and Equitable Land Access ( Fela ) by Development Projects: Enhancing Governance for Sustainable Development Outcomes When Projects Displace People
Displacing people to make way for development projects is contentious. Empirical research demonstrates that neither human rights guidelines nor multilateral lenders' standards guarantee positive, sustainable outcomes for displaced people. With multiple new displacing projects proposed globally, including for renewable energy, we propose a new approach designed to strengthen governance: fair and equitable land access (FELA), launched as the Dublin…
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of migrant young people in Ireland
The world-wide COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education, with school closures leading to a shift to remote learning. Existing and emerging research has shown that even a relatively short period of missed school has negative consequences for academic and social outcomes among children and young people, especially for those from more vulnerable families. While emerging research drawing on cross-sectional data has focussed on how the pand…
School transition difficulty in Scotland and Ireland: A longitudinal perspective
There is a large body of research exploring the difficulties young people experience on the transition to secondary education. However, there has been little comparative research yielding insights into how these experiences vary by institutional context. This article explores differences in school transition difficulties among young people in Scotland and Ireland using nationally representative longitudinal datasets – Growing Up in Ireland and Gr…
Participation in shadow education and academic performance: A comparison of upper secondary school students in Ireland and Germany
This article uses two longitudinal cohort studies (Growing Up in Ireland and the National Educational Panel Study) to examine how shadow education relates to academic performance in Ireland and Germany. Patterns of take-up of, and outcomes from, shadow education are found to reflect the particular country context—aimed at maintaining performance to avoid grade retention in Germany and preparing for a high-stakes upper secondary exam in Ireland. P…
What buffered the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on depression? A longitudinal study of caregivers of school aged children in Ireland
The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought acute harm to global mental health, especially among vulnerable populations. We explore what factors in people's lives buffered the impact of the pandemic on depression; in particular, the role of social resources, economic resources, religiosity, and quality of their local environment. Drawing on three waves of longitudinal cohort data (two pre-pandemic waves and one pandemic-period wave) from primary caregivers…
Social differentiation in career decision-making processes and higher education intentions: The role of family background and school composition in the use of different sources of information
The way in which young people’s post-school intentions and pathways reflect their social background has been the subject of a good deal of research. However, much less attention has been paid to social differentiation in the amount and kind of career guidance information received by young people and its role in reinforcing or ameliorating social differentiation in transitions. This article contributes by examining the extent to which sources of i…
The long road to secondary school: Background, home learning environment, and transition difficulties in Scotland
This paper explores the association between children’s difficulty in moving to secondary school and their family background. School transition difficulty is associated with a range of poor outcomes in young people, but studies have rarely taken a fully longitudinal perspective or looked in detail at inequalities in transition processes. This perspective can unpack the long-term processes behind any inequalities in such difficulties. We use longit…
The Effect of Pandemic-Related Economic Disruption on Young Adolescents in Ireland
The sudden health and economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic affords an opportunity to examine the impact of economic disruption to children and families. Any negative effects on the well-being of children are important to consider in relation to both short- and long-term outcomes. Using pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic waves of the longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland study, we examined whether the impact of economic disruption was eq…
Understanding differences in children’s reading ability by social origin and gender: The role of parental reading and pre- and primary school exposure in Ireland
Given growing concerns about disadvantaged boys' achievement and disengagement from learning, this paper investigates differences in reading ability by gender and social origin. It uses data from the Growing Up in Ireland study to investigate how parents' approach to learning at home and children's exposure to early care and ed-ucation contribute to these differences. We find that both children's gender and their family's social class in-fluence …
“We Respect Them, and They Respect Us”: The Value of Interpersonal Relationships in Enhancing Student Engagement
Attempts to understand the patterns behind student disengagement and early school leaving have traditionally focussed on early school leavers’ individual characteristics. More recently, however, studies have begun to focus on the extent to which early school leaving is shaped by school-level factors, and in particular the central role of teachers and pedagogy, in (dis)engaging students. Studies have consistently shown how negative teacher–student…
Is impact assessment ensuring proper prediction and assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of projects – how to reduce bias
A study by the Ecological Society of Australia (Driscoll et al. 2020) found that about one third of industry-employed ecologists and conservation scientists said they had experienced undue modifica
Impacts of the Covid-19 Control Measures on Widening Educational Inequalities
COVID-19 has resulted in a global public health crisis. Measures adopted by governments across the world to reduce transmission have resulted in the closure of educational institutions and workplaces and reduced social interaction. The aim of the article is to reflect on the consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic for the lives of young people from different social groups, with a special focus on education. It is a desk-based review of empir…
Secondary school subjects and gendered STEM enrollment in higher education in Germany, Ireland, and Scotland
This article examines the extent to which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subject choice in upper secondary education explains gender differences in STEM enrollment in higher education. We adopt a cross-country approach using Germany, Ireland, and Scotland as three case studies. These countries differ in terms of both the degree of subject choice offered in upper secondary education and the relevance for higher education …
Gender and School‐to‐Work Transitions Research
This essay critically reflects on existing conceptualizations of gender in school‐to‐work transitions research. Gender is always included as a “control” variable in analyses of post‐school transitions, but the way in which gender is embedded in institutional structures across different national settings is rarely unpacked in a systematic way. The essay draws on recent research to outline the way in which gender differences in labor market outcome…
The Social Framework for Projects: A Conceptual but Practical Model to Assist in Assessing, Planning and Managing the Social Impacts of Projects
The Social Framework for Projects assists in understanding, assessing, planning and managing the social issues associated with big projects, such as those leading to the resettlement or displacement of people. The Framework was iteratively developed by assessing existing models (e.g. Sustainable Livelihoods Approach of the UK Department for International Development; the Impoverishment Risks and Reconstruction model of Michael Cernea; the Capabil…
Curriculum differentiation and social inequality in higher education entry in Scotland and Ireland
This paper examines the relative importance of upper secondary subject choice and attainment in explaining social inequalities in access to higher education ( HE ) in Scotland and Ireland. These two countries differ in the extent of curriculum differentiation, in the degree of standardisation in school examination and in HE entry criteria. In particular, in Scotland subject choice in upper secondary education is more differentiated (both in terms…
Five ‘big’ issues for land access, resettlement and livelihood restoration practice: Findings of an international symposium
This paper synthesises findings of a recent IAIA Symposium on Resettlement and Livelihoods (South Africa, October 2014). Over 250 practitioners from 42 countries attended, representing governments, private sector, academia, impacted communities, civil society international financial institutions (IFIs) and consultants. Five ‘big’ themes emerged: (1) land access and resettlement practice falls short of community expectations, with negative impacts…
Your whole life depends on it’: Academic stress and high-stakes testing in Ireland
International research consistently shows that high-stakes exams are a significant source of stress and worry for students within secondary education. Existing research focuses on individual variation in exam-related stress levels among students with very little attention given to the influence of school context on student stress. Using data from the Irish Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, a mixed methods study of secondary students, this paper ex…
The Social Framework for Projects: A Conceptual but Practical Model to Assist in Assessing, Planning and Managing the Social Impacts of Projects
The Social Framework for Projects assists in understanding, assessing, planning and managing the social issues associated with big projects, such as those leading to the resettlement or displacement of people. The Framework was iteratively developed by assessing existing models (e.g. Sustainable Livelihoods Approach of the UK Department for International Development; the Impoverishment Risks and Reconstruction model of Michael Cernea; the Capabil…
Field of Study and Gender Segregation in European Labour Markets
This article explores the role of field of study in channelling tertiary graduates into gender-appropriate occupations and the extent to which this process varies across countries. Previous research has demonstrated that such cross-country differences can be attributed to the nature of the welfare regime. However, less attention has been devoted to the potential impact of educational institutions and labour market systems. Using the European Unio…
Your whole life depends on it’: Academic stress and high-stakes testing in Ireland
International research consistently shows that high-stakes exams are a significant source of stress and worry for students within secondary education. Existing research focuses on individual variation in exam-related stress levels among students with very little attention given to the influence of school context on student stress. Using data from the Irish Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, a mixed methods study of secondary students, this paper ex…
Do subjective indicators measure welfare: Evidence from 33 European societies
Indicators of subjective well-being have gained only limited acceptance as tools for the social-scientific analysis of human welfare, mainly because they seem insensitive to variations in the socio-economic context. However, this apparent insensitivity has been established by research which has been limited in various ways. Using data on life satisfaction for 33 European societies which goes some way to transcending these limits, this paper ident…
There was never really any question of anything else: Young people's agency, institutional habitus and the transition to higher education
International research into educational decision-making has been extensive, focusing on the way in which young people and their families assess the different options open to them. However, to what extent can we assume that different groups of young people have equal access to the information needed to make such an assessment? And what role, if any, do schools play in this process? Using in-depth qualitative interviews from two schools with very d…
Mapping gender and social background differences in education and youth transitions across Europe
This paper uses data drawn from the European Union Labour Force Survey 2000 Ad Hoc Module on School to Work Transitions to explore the influence of gender and social background (measured in terms of parental education) on young people's educational and early labour market outcomes across 12 European countries. Our results show that social background is strongly related to the level of education achieved while gender is found to have a stronger ef…
Gender differentiation and early labour market integration across Europe
This paper examines gender differentiation in early labour market outcomes across twelve European countries. In spite of the fact that the educational attainment of women has now surpassed that of men in many countries, differences persist in the type of educational courses taken by young women and men. Countries differ in the extent of educational segregation by gender but certain regularities are evident, with health/welfare, education and arts…
Impacts of the Covid-19 Control Measures on Widening Educational Inequalities
COVID-19 has resulted in a global public health crisis. Measures adopted by governments across the world to reduce transmission have resulted in the closure of educational institutions and workplaces and reduced social interaction. The aim of the article is to reflect on the consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic for the lives of young people from different social groups, with a special focus on education. It is a desk-based review of empir…
So much to do, so little time: Part-time employment among secondary students in Ireland
This article explores the nature and implications of secondary students' participation in paid employment in Ireland.The analysis draws on a comprehensive survey of one-sixth of secondary schools. Results indicate that working part-time is associated with underperformance at upper secondary level and also leads to increased dropout. In line with research in other countries, part-time employment tends to draw students away from their studies. Such…
Curriculum differentiation and social inequality in higher education entry in Scotland and Ireland
This paper examines the relative importance of upper secondary subject choice and attainment in explaining social inequalities in access to higher education ( HE ) in Scotland and Ireland. These two countries differ in the extent of curriculum differentiation, in the degree of standardisation in school examination and in HE entry criteria. In particular, in Scotland subject choice in upper secondary education is more differentiated (both in terms…
Secondary school subjects and gendered STEM enrollment in higher education in Germany, Ireland, and Scotland
This article examines the extent to which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subject choice in upper secondary education explains gender differences in STEM enrollment in higher education. We adopt a cross-country approach using Germany, Ireland, and Scotland as three case studies. These countries differ in terms of both the degree of subject choice offered in upper secondary education and the relevance for higher education …
Gender differences in pay among recent graduates: Private sector employees in Ireland
In this paper we seek to investigate the role of different factors in accounting for the differences in earnings among recent graduates working in the private sector in Ireland. Three years after graduation there is a pay gap of 8 per cent in hourly wages between male and female graduates in the private sector and a 4 per cent non-significant gap in the public sector. Our analyses suggest that there are four main factors behind the pay gap in the…
Just a phase? Youth unemployment in the Republic of Ireland
Ireland has experienced an unprecedented level of economic growth since the mid-1990s. The present article assesses the extent to which this phenomenon has altered the level and nature of youth unemployment, using data from six waves of a nationally representative survey of school-leavers. The main impact of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ has been to smooth the transition from school to paid employment, significantly reducing the proportion of young people u…
The dynamics of credentialism: Ireland from bust to boom (and back again)
What buffered the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on depression? A longitudinal study of caregivers of school aged children in Ireland
The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought acute harm to global mental health, especially among vulnerable populations. We explore what factors in people's lives buffered the impact of the pandemic on depression; in particular, the role of social resources, economic resources, religiosity, and quality of their local environment. Drawing on three waves of longitudinal cohort data (two pre-pandemic waves and one pandemic-period wave) from primary caregivers…
Understanding Parental Influence on Educational Outcomes Among 9 Year Olds in Ireland: The Mediating Role of Resources, Attitudes and Children’s Own Perspectives
Participation in shadow education and academic performance: A comparison of upper secondary school students in Ireland and Germany
This article uses two longitudinal cohort studies (Growing Up in Ireland and the National Educational Panel Study) to examine how shadow education relates to academic performance in Ireland and Germany. Patterns of take-up of, and outcomes from, shadow education are found to reflect the particular country context—aimed at maintaining performance to avoid grade retention in Germany and preparing for a high-stakes upper secondary exam in Ireland. P…
The long road to secondary school: Background, home learning environment, and transition difficulties in Scotland
This paper explores the association between children’s difficulty in moving to secondary school and their family background. School transition difficulty is associated with a range of poor outcomes in young people, but studies have rarely taken a fully longitudinal perspective or looked in detail at inequalities in transition processes. This perspective can unpack the long-term processes behind any inequalities in such difficulties. We use longit…
Understanding differences in children’s reading ability by social origin and gender: The role of parental reading and pre- and primary school exposure in Ireland
Given growing concerns about disadvantaged boys' achievement and disengagement from learning, this paper investigates differences in reading ability by gender and social origin. It uses data from the Growing Up in Ireland study to investigate how parents' approach to learning at home and children's exposure to early care and ed-ucation contribute to these differences. We find that both children's gender and their family's social class in-fluence …
Multigrade teaching and age composition of the class: The influence on academic and social outcomes among students
Man enough to do it’? Girls and non‐traditional subjects in lower secondary education
This article examines the processes influencing the choice of non‐traditional subjects by girls in lower secondary education in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, we focus on the traditionally ‘male’ craft technological subjects, namely Materials Technology (Wood), Metalwork and Technical Graphics. Analyses are based on detailed case studies of 12 secondary schools, placing them in the context of national patterns of subject take‐up. Strong …
Field of Study and Students' Workload in Higher Education: Ireland and Austria in Comparative Perspective
There is a growing recognition of the importance of `field of study' in social research. However, few of the existing studies explore the extent to which different fields of study facilitate or constrain opportunities to engage in employment and students' perceptions of their work load in higher education. This article aims to explore the workload of higher education students across different fields of study in comparative perspective. Contrastin…
Do subjective indicators measure welfare: Evidence from 33 European societies
Indicators of subjective well-being have gained only limited acceptance as tools for the social-scientific analysis of human welfare, mainly because they seem insensitive to variations in the socio-economic context. However, this apparent insensitivity has been established by research which has been limited in various ways. Using data on life satisfaction for 33 European societies which goes some way to transcending these limits, this paper ident…
Gender differentiation and early labour market integration across Europe
This paper examines gender differentiation in early labour market outcomes across twelve European countries. In spite of the fact that the educational attainment of women has now surpassed that of men in many countries, differences persist in the type of educational courses taken by young women and men. Countries differ in the extent of educational segregation by gender but certain regularities are evident, with health/welfare, education and arts…
So much to do, so little time: Part-time employment among secondary students in Ireland
This article explores the nature and implications of secondary students' participation in paid employment in Ireland.The analysis draws on a comprehensive survey of one-sixth of secondary schools. Results indicate that working part-time is associated with underperformance at upper secondary level and also leads to increased dropout. In line with research in other countries, part-time employment tends to draw students away from their studies. Such…
Mapping gender and social background differences in education and youth transitions across Europe
This paper uses data drawn from the European Union Labour Force Survey 2000 Ad Hoc Module on School to Work Transitions to explore the influence of gender and social background (measured in terms of parental education) on young people's educational and early labour market outcomes across 12 European countries. Our results show that social background is strongly related to the level of education achieved while gender is found to have a stronger ef…
Just a phase? Youth unemployment in the Republic of Ireland
Ireland has experienced an unprecedented level of economic growth since the mid-1990s. The present article assesses the extent to which this phenomenon has altered the level and nature of youth unemployment, using data from six waves of a nationally representative survey of school-leavers. The main impact of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ has been to smooth the transition from school to paid employment, significantly reducing the proportion of young people u…
Man enough to do it’? Girls and non‐traditional subjects in lower secondary education
This article examines the processes influencing the choice of non‐traditional subjects by girls in lower secondary education in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, we focus on the traditionally ‘male’ craft technological subjects, namely Materials Technology (Wood), Metalwork and Technical Graphics. Analyses are based on detailed case studies of 12 secondary schools, placing them in the context of national patterns of subject take‐up. Strong …
Field of Study and Gender Segregation in European Labour Markets
This article explores the role of field of study in channelling tertiary graduates into gender-appropriate occupations and the extent to which this process varies across countries. Previous research has demonstrated that such cross-country differences can be attributed to the nature of the welfare regime. However, less attention has been devoted to the potential impact of educational institutions and labour market systems. Using the European Unio…
Field of Study and Students' Workload in Higher Education: Ireland and Austria in Comparative Perspective
There is a growing recognition of the importance of `field of study' in social research. However, few of the existing studies explore the extent to which different fields of study facilitate or constrain opportunities to engage in employment and students' perceptions of their work load in higher education. This article aims to explore the workload of higher education students across different fields of study in comparative perspective. Contrastin…
Understanding Parental Influence on Educational Outcomes Among 9 Year Olds in Ireland: The Mediating Role of Resources, Attitudes and Children’s Own Perspectives
Gender and the changing face of higher education. A feminized future?, by Carole Leathwood and Barbara Read
"Gender and the changing face of higher education. A feminized future?, by Carole Leathwood and Barbara Read." , 22(1), pp. 136–137
Gender differences in pay among recent graduates: Private sector employees in Ireland
In this paper we seek to investigate the role of different factors in accounting for the differences in earnings among recent graduates working in the private sector in Ireland. Three years after graduation there is a pay gap of 8 per cent in hourly wages between male and female graduates in the private sector and a 4 per cent non-significant gap in the public sector. Our analyses suggest that there are four main factors behind the pay gap in the…
The dynamics of credentialism: Ireland from bust to boom (and back again)
There was never really any question of anything else: Young people's agency, institutional habitus and the transition to higher education
International research into educational decision-making has been extensive, focusing on the way in which young people and their families assess the different options open to them. However, to what extent can we assume that different groups of young people have equal access to the information needed to make such an assessment? And what role, if any, do schools play in this process? Using in-depth qualitative interviews from two schools with very d…
Religious Education in a Multicultural Europe
Drawing on a major EU-funded research project, this book examines how religious/secular beliefs are formed at school and in the family across different European countries, offering insights into key p
Religious Education in a Multicultural Europe: Children, Parents and Schools
Multigrade teaching and age composition of the class: The influence on academic and social outcomes among students
Five ‘big’ issues for land access, resettlement and livelihood restoration practice: Findings of an international symposium
This paper synthesises findings of a recent IAIA Symposium on Resettlement and Livelihoods (South Africa, October 2014). Over 250 practitioners from 42 countries attended, representing governments, private sector, academia, impacted communities, civil society international financial institutions (IFIs) and consultants. Five ‘big’ themes emerged: (1) land access and resettlement practice falls short of community expectations, with negative impacts…
Your whole life depends on it’: Academic stress and high-stakes testing in Ireland
International research consistently shows that high-stakes exams are a significant source of stress and worry for students within secondary education. Existing research focuses on individual variation in exam-related stress levels among students with very little attention given to the influence of school context on student stress. Using data from the Irish Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, a mixed methods study of secondary students, this paper ex…
Curriculum differentiation and social inequality in higher education entry in Scotland and Ireland
This paper examines the relative importance of upper secondary subject choice and attainment in explaining social inequalities in access to higher education ( HE ) in Scotland and Ireland. These two countries differ in the extent of curriculum differentiation, in the degree of standardisation in school examination and in HE entry criteria. In particular, in Scotland subject choice in upper secondary education is more differentiated (both in terms…
The Social Framework for Projects: A Conceptual but Practical Model to Assist in Assessing, Planning and Managing the Social Impacts of Projects
The Social Framework for Projects assists in understanding, assessing, planning and managing the social issues associated with big projects, such as those leading to the resettlement or displacement of people. The Framework was iteratively developed by assessing existing models (e.g. Sustainable Livelihoods Approach of the UK Department for International Development; the Impoverishment Risks and Reconstruction model of Michael Cernea; the Capabil…
Gender and School‐to‐Work Transitions Research
This essay critically reflects on existing conceptualizations of gender in school‐to‐work transitions research. Gender is always included as a “control” variable in analyses of post‐school transitions, but the way in which gender is embedded in institutional structures across different national settings is rarely unpacked in a systematic way. The essay draws on recent research to outline the way in which gender differences in labor market outcome…
Secondary school subjects and gendered STEM enrollment in higher education in Germany, Ireland, and Scotland
This article examines the extent to which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subject choice in upper secondary education explains gender differences in STEM enrollment in higher education. We adopt a cross-country approach using Germany, Ireland, and Scotland as three case studies. These countries differ in terms of both the degree of subject choice offered in upper secondary education and the relevance for higher education …
“We Respect Them, and They Respect Us”: The Value of Interpersonal Relationships in Enhancing Student Engagement
Attempts to understand the patterns behind student disengagement and early school leaving have traditionally focussed on early school leavers’ individual characteristics. More recently, however, studies have begun to focus on the extent to which early school leaving is shaped by school-level factors, and in particular the central role of teachers and pedagogy, in (dis)engaging students. Studies have consistently shown how negative teacher–student…
Is impact assessment ensuring proper prediction and assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of projects – how to reduce bias
A study by the Ecological Society of Australia (Driscoll et al. 2020) found that about one third of industry-employed ecologists and conservation scientists said they had experienced undue modifica
Impacts of the Covid-19 Control Measures on Widening Educational Inequalities
COVID-19 has resulted in a global public health crisis. Measures adopted by governments across the world to reduce transmission have resulted in the closure of educational institutions and workplaces and reduced social interaction. The aim of the article is to reflect on the consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic for the lives of young people from different social groups, with a special focus on education. It is a desk-based review of empir…
Political science (25 works) · Sociology (22 works) · Economics (18 works) · Psychology (18 works) · Demographic economics (13 works) · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics (12 works) · Economic growth (11 works) · Medicine (11 works) · Pedagogy (11 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (10 works)