Samantha Parsons
Biographic Data
| ID | 3580947 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Samantha Parsons |
| GIVEN NAMES | Samantha |
| FAMILY NAME | Parsons |
| SIGNATURE | PARSONS S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5949-3899 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 145 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Transgenerational transmission of trauma. Heterogeneity in the experiences of mothers who experienced out-of-home care (OHC) and adjustment of their children
Original evidence on the heterogeneity in adult adjustment of mothers with OHC experience. • About a third of mothers with OHC experience demonstrate resilience across domains. • Another third of OHC experienced mothers report high economic and mental health problems. • About one on four of mothers with OHC face mainly economic problems. • Children of resilient mothers with OHC experience are doing ok academically. • Yet there is also evidence to…
Harmonised fertility histories in four British longitudinal cohort studies
BACKGROUNDSince World War II, Britain has witnessed significant societal changes, including in relation to fertility.Robust longitudinal and cross-cohort research requires data harmonisation to create comparable fertility measures to understand the predictors and consequences of these changes across generations. OBJECTIVEThis paper describes newly created datasets on fertility histories that have been derived and harmonised across four longitudin…
Do occupational aspirations of children help to explain ethnic differences in labour market outcomes
Across the UK’s ethnic groups there is substantial variation in labour market outcomes, driven in part by differences in occupational concentration. Yet we lack insight into whether these outcomes may be shaped, in part, by differences in preferences deriving from group-level cultural socialisation. We shed light on this question using the nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study. We study the occupational aspirations of girls and boys p…
How has the employment gap of those growing up with special educational needs or disability in England changed over two cohorts born 30 years apart
Across the world, disabled working age adults face substantial labour market disadvantage, though with variation by age. For example, in the UK, the disability employment gap remains greater among those who are older. To investigate whether this means that more recent cohorts face less disadvantage or instead captures a greater impact of disability at older ages, we compare two British cohorts born in 1958 and 1989/90 identified with special educ…
Intergenerational transmission of educational disadvantage: Education progression of children of care leavers compared to a general population sample
There is persistent evidence showing that care leavers tend to have lower educational outcomes compared to their peers. There is, however, less knowledge of whether this educational disadvantage transfers to the second generation. This study adopts a developmental contextual life‐course approach to examine: (a) the extent of educational inequality of children of care leavers from school entry to public examinations at age 16; (b) the relative rol…
Are Right-Wing Attitudes and Voting Associated with Having Attended Private School? An Investigation Using the 1970 British Cohort Study
This article addresses the question of whether attending a private school affects voting behaviour and political attitudes in adulthood in Britain. The analysis is based upon the British Cohort Study, a nationally representative cohort of children born in one week in April 1970. The 'effect' of attending a private school on the tendency to vote Conservative in four consecutive General Elections, and on the expression of conservative attitudes in …
The relationship between child behaviour problems at school entrance and teenage vocabulary acquisition: A comparison of two generations of British children born 30 years apart
Behaviour problems in early childhood have a lasting impact on cognitive development and education attainment in later adolescence and into adulthood. Here we address the relationship conduct and hyperactivity problems at school entrance, and vocabulary acquisition in adolescence. We compare performance in identical assessments across two generations of British children born 30 years apart in 1970 ( n = 15,676) and 2000/2 ( n = 16,628) and find t…
Education and psychological distress in adolescence and mid‐life: Do private schools make a difference
This article extends the evidence base on childhood circumstances, education and psychological distress. We examine the link between childhood advantage and disadvantage, the type of school attended during adolescence and psychological distress at ages 16 and 42. The analysis uses a large, population‐based birth cohort study, the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) ( n = 17,198) using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. More advantaged …
Approaching Retirement After a Working Life in Poverty
This paper uses a life course perspective to explore and understand how an individual’s experiences over their lifetime contribute to the formation of a growing consciousness about their impending retirement. The fieldwork took place in 2016 and was part of a wider mixed methods study about retirement in the UK, which used data from the 1958 birth cohort study (also known as the National Child Development Study). The paper focuses on the qualitat…
Pathways from origins to destinations: Stability and change in the roles of cognition, private schools and educational attainment
While much attention has been devoted to measuring levels of social mobility over time, less attention has been given to the possibility of changing pathways to social mobility. This paper examines pathways from social origins to socio-economic destinations in midlife for two British cohorts, born in 1958 and 1970 respectively, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). We address the roles of cognitive attainment, private schooling and education…
Elite universities, fields of study and top salaries: Which degree will make you rich
This article assesses the chances of entering the top 5% of earners for a British cohort currently in their 40s. We assess the difference made by a university degree from an elite (Russell Group) or non‐elite university, and from different undergraduate fields of study. Our study uses rich longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study ( BCS 70). This allows us to control for an unusually large range of potential confounding factors, includ…
The path from social origins to top jobs: Social Reproduction via Education
This paper provides a comprehensive account of the way in which cognitive and educational attainment mediate the link between social origins and elite social class destinations in mid-life. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), we assess the roles of a range of pathways through which educational advantage may lead to occupational attainment: cognitive development; private and selective secondary schools; school level qualifications; and hi…
The influence of private primary schooling on children's learning: Evidence from three generations of children living in the UK
Much has been made of the academic success of children who have attended private secondary schools in Britain, but far less attention has been directed to whether there are similar benefits from attending a private primary school. Using data from three British birth cohorts—born in 1958, 1970 and 2000/1—this paper profiles the family background and personal characteristics of children at state‐funded and private fee‐paying schools and then invest…
The early academic progress of children with special educational needs
Children with special educational needs ( SEN ) are known to experience lower average educational attainment than other children during their school years. But we have less insight into how far their poorer educational outcomes stem from their original starting points or from failure to progress during school. The extent to which early identification with SEN delivers support that enables children who are struggling academically to make appropria…
Doubly Disadvantaged? Bullying Experiences among Disabled Children and Young People in England
Bullying among school-aged children and adolescents is recognised as an important social problem, and the adverse consequences for victims are well established. However, despite growing interest in the socio-demographic profile of victims, there is limited evidence on the relationship between bullying victimisation and childhood disability. This article enhances our understanding of bullying experiences among disabled children in both early and l…
Physical capability and the advantages and disadvantages of ageing: Perceptions of older age by men and women in two British cohorts
In an increasingly ageing society, its older members are receiving considerable political and policy attention. However, much remains to be learnt about public perceptions of older age, particularly the views and experiences of older individuals themselves. Drawing on qualitative interviews carried out with members of two British cohorts (N = 60) who have reached the ‘third age’, this paper discusses perceptions of age, focusing particularly on h…
Neighbourhood cohesion and mental wellbeing among older adults: A mixed methods approach
The incidence and make up of ability grouped sets in the UK primary school
The adoption of setting in the primary school (pupils ability grouped across classes for particular subjects) emerged during the 1990s as a means to raise standards. Recent research based on 8875 children in the Millennium Cohort Study showed that 25.8% of children in Year 2 were set for literacy and mathematics and a further 11.2% of children were set for mathematics or literacy alone. Logistic regression analysis showed that the best predictors…
Prevalence of streaming in UK primary schools: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study
The adoption of streaming in the primary school (where children are placed in a class on the basis of measures of attainment and remain in that class all of the time) was commonplace when the 11 plus examination was used to select children for grammar school places. During the 1950s and 1960s the practice died out with most children being taught in mixed ability classes with some in‐class grouping. During the 1990s successive governments indicate…
Long-term Outcomes for Children with Early Language Problems: Beating the Odds
Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, this study examines factors promoting positive language development and subsequent successful education and employment transitions among children showing early receptive language problems (age 5). We find that 61 per cent of children with early receptive language problems develop into competent readers by age 10. Factors promoting positive language development include parental support and more importantly a go…
Socioeconomic Adversity, Educational Resilience, and Subsequent Levels of Adult Adaptation
The aim of this article is to determine the extent to which individual, family, and contextual resources influence the school adjustment of 16-year-old teenagers and to investigate their consequent adult attainments at age 33. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, the experiences of more than 9,000 socially advantaged and disadvantaged young people are compared. The study shows that socioeconomic adversity is a significant risk factor for educatio…
Social Exclusion and the Transition from School to Work: The Case of Young People Not in Education, Employment, or Training (Neet)
Teenage Aspirations for Future Careers and Occupational Outcomes
Competence in the face of adversity: The influence of early family environment and long‐term consequences
This paper investigates family characteristics that enable children to achieve competence despite being exposed to socio‐economic adversity, and analyses the long‐term outcomes of this positive adaptation. The main finding is that the protective factors that modify the impact of adversity are context specific, and show age as well as period effects. Positive adaptation during early childhood has long‐term consequences, yet resilient young people …
Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970
(2000). Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970. Journal of Youth Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 237-249
The path from social origins to top jobs: Social Reproduction via Education
This paper provides a comprehensive account of the way in which cognitive and educational attainment mediate the link between social origins and elite social class destinations in mid-life. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), we assess the roles of a range of pathways through which educational advantage may lead to occupational attainment: cognitive development; private and selective secondary schools; school level qualifications; and hi…
Neighbourhood cohesion and mental wellbeing among older adults: A mixed methods approach
Socioeconomic Adversity, Educational Resilience, and Subsequent Levels of Adult Adaptation
The aim of this article is to determine the extent to which individual, family, and contextual resources influence the school adjustment of 16-year-old teenagers and to investigate their consequent adult attainments at age 33. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, the experiences of more than 9,000 socially advantaged and disadvantaged young people are compared. The study shows that socioeconomic adversity is a significant risk factor for educatio…
Doubly Disadvantaged? Bullying Experiences among Disabled Children and Young People in England
Bullying among school-aged children and adolescents is recognised as an important social problem, and the adverse consequences for victims are well established. However, despite growing interest in the socio-demographic profile of victims, there is limited evidence on the relationship between bullying victimisation and childhood disability. This article enhances our understanding of bullying experiences among disabled children in both early and l…
Prevalence of streaming in UK primary schools: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study
The adoption of streaming in the primary school (where children are placed in a class on the basis of measures of attainment and remain in that class all of the time) was commonplace when the 11 plus examination was used to select children for grammar school places. During the 1950s and 1960s the practice died out with most children being taught in mixed ability classes with some in‐class grouping. During the 1990s successive governments indicate…
The incidence and make up of ability grouped sets in the UK primary school
The adoption of setting in the primary school (pupils ability grouped across classes for particular subjects) emerged during the 1990s as a means to raise standards. Recent research based on 8875 children in the Millennium Cohort Study showed that 25.8% of children in Year 2 were set for literacy and mathematics and a further 11.2% of children were set for mathematics or literacy alone. Logistic regression analysis showed that the best predictors…
Elite universities, fields of study and top salaries: Which degree will make you rich
This article assesses the chances of entering the top 5% of earners for a British cohort currently in their 40s. We assess the difference made by a university degree from an elite (Russell Group) or non‐elite university, and from different undergraduate fields of study. Our study uses rich longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study ( BCS 70). This allows us to control for an unusually large range of potential confounding factors, includ…
Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970
(2000). Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970. Journal of Youth Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 237-249
The influence of private primary schooling on children's learning: Evidence from three generations of children living in the UK
Much has been made of the academic success of children who have attended private secondary schools in Britain, but far less attention has been directed to whether there are similar benefits from attending a private primary school. Using data from three British birth cohorts—born in 1958, 1970 and 2000/1—this paper profiles the family background and personal characteristics of children at state‐funded and private fee‐paying schools and then invest…
The early academic progress of children with special educational needs
Children with special educational needs ( SEN ) are known to experience lower average educational attainment than other children during their school years. But we have less insight into how far their poorer educational outcomes stem from their original starting points or from failure to progress during school. The extent to which early identification with SEN delivers support that enables children who are struggling academically to make appropria…
Are Right-Wing Attitudes and Voting Associated with Having Attended Private School? An Investigation Using the 1970 British Cohort Study
This article addresses the question of whether attending a private school affects voting behaviour and political attitudes in adulthood in Britain. The analysis is based upon the British Cohort Study, a nationally representative cohort of children born in one week in April 1970. The 'effect' of attending a private school on the tendency to vote Conservative in four consecutive General Elections, and on the expression of conservative attitudes in …
Intergenerational transmission of educational disadvantage: Education progression of children of care leavers compared to a general population sample
There is persistent evidence showing that care leavers tend to have lower educational outcomes compared to their peers. There is, however, less knowledge of whether this educational disadvantage transfers to the second generation. This study adopts a developmental contextual life‐course approach to examine: (a) the extent of educational inequality of children of care leavers from school entry to public examinations at age 16; (b) the relative rol…
The relationship between child behaviour problems at school entrance and teenage vocabulary acquisition: A comparison of two generations of British children born 30 years apart
Behaviour problems in early childhood have a lasting impact on cognitive development and education attainment in later adolescence and into adulthood. Here we address the relationship conduct and hyperactivity problems at school entrance, and vocabulary acquisition in adolescence. We compare performance in identical assessments across two generations of British children born 30 years apart in 1970 ( n = 15,676) and 2000/2 ( n = 16,628) and find t…
Pathways from origins to destinations: Stability and change in the roles of cognition, private schools and educational attainment
While much attention has been devoted to measuring levels of social mobility over time, less attention has been given to the possibility of changing pathways to social mobility. This paper examines pathways from social origins to socio-economic destinations in midlife for two British cohorts, born in 1958 and 1970 respectively, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). We address the roles of cognitive attainment, private schooling and education…
Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970
(2000). Marginalization and Value Shifts under the Changing Economic Circumstances Surrounding the Transition to Work: A Comparison of Cohorts Born in 1958 and 1970. Journal of Youth Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 237-249
Social Exclusion and the Transition from School to Work: The Case of Young People Not in Education, Employment, or Training (Neet)
Teenage Aspirations for Future Careers and Occupational Outcomes
Competence in the face of adversity: The influence of early family environment and long‐term consequences
This paper investigates family characteristics that enable children to achieve competence despite being exposed to socio‐economic adversity, and analyses the long‐term outcomes of this positive adaptation. The main finding is that the protective factors that modify the impact of adversity are context specific, and show age as well as period effects. Positive adaptation during early childhood has long‐term consequences, yet resilient young people …
Socioeconomic Adversity, Educational Resilience, and Subsequent Levels of Adult Adaptation
The aim of this article is to determine the extent to which individual, family, and contextual resources influence the school adjustment of 16-year-old teenagers and to investigate their consequent adult attainments at age 33. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, the experiences of more than 9,000 socially advantaged and disadvantaged young people are compared. The study shows that socioeconomic adversity is a significant risk factor for educatio…
Long-term Outcomes for Children with Early Language Problems: Beating the Odds
Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, this study examines factors promoting positive language development and subsequent successful education and employment transitions among children showing early receptive language problems (age 5). We find that 61 per cent of children with early receptive language problems develop into competent readers by age 10. Factors promoting positive language development include parental support and more importantly a go…
The incidence and make up of ability grouped sets in the UK primary school
The adoption of setting in the primary school (pupils ability grouped across classes for particular subjects) emerged during the 1990s as a means to raise standards. Recent research based on 8875 children in the Millennium Cohort Study showed that 25.8% of children in Year 2 were set for literacy and mathematics and a further 11.2% of children were set for mathematics or literacy alone. Logistic regression analysis showed that the best predictors…
Prevalence of streaming in UK primary schools: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study
The adoption of streaming in the primary school (where children are placed in a class on the basis of measures of attainment and remain in that class all of the time) was commonplace when the 11 plus examination was used to select children for grammar school places. During the 1950s and 1960s the practice died out with most children being taught in mixed ability classes with some in‐class grouping. During the 1990s successive governments indicate…
Physical capability and the advantages and disadvantages of ageing: Perceptions of older age by men and women in two British cohorts
In an increasingly ageing society, its older members are receiving considerable political and policy attention. However, much remains to be learnt about public perceptions of older age, particularly the views and experiences of older individuals themselves. Drawing on qualitative interviews carried out with members of two British cohorts (N = 60) who have reached the ‘third age’, this paper discusses perceptions of age, focusing particularly on h…
Neighbourhood cohesion and mental wellbeing among older adults: A mixed methods approach
Doubly Disadvantaged? Bullying Experiences among Disabled Children and Young People in England
Bullying among school-aged children and adolescents is recognised as an important social problem, and the adverse consequences for victims are well established. However, despite growing interest in the socio-demographic profile of victims, there is limited evidence on the relationship between bullying victimisation and childhood disability. This article enhances our understanding of bullying experiences among disabled children in both early and l…
The influence of private primary schooling on children's learning: Evidence from three generations of children living in the UK
Much has been made of the academic success of children who have attended private secondary schools in Britain, but far less attention has been directed to whether there are similar benefits from attending a private primary school. Using data from three British birth cohorts—born in 1958, 1970 and 2000/1—this paper profiles the family background and personal characteristics of children at state‐funded and private fee‐paying schools and then invest…
The early academic progress of children with special educational needs
Children with special educational needs ( SEN ) are known to experience lower average educational attainment than other children during their school years. But we have less insight into how far their poorer educational outcomes stem from their original starting points or from failure to progress during school. The extent to which early identification with SEN delivers support that enables children who are struggling academically to make appropria…
Elite universities, fields of study and top salaries: Which degree will make you rich
This article assesses the chances of entering the top 5% of earners for a British cohort currently in their 40s. We assess the difference made by a university degree from an elite (Russell Group) or non‐elite university, and from different undergraduate fields of study. Our study uses rich longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study ( BCS 70). This allows us to control for an unusually large range of potential confounding factors, includ…
The path from social origins to top jobs: Social Reproduction via Education
This paper provides a comprehensive account of the way in which cognitive and educational attainment mediate the link between social origins and elite social class destinations in mid-life. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), we assess the roles of a range of pathways through which educational advantage may lead to occupational attainment: cognitive development; private and selective secondary schools; school level qualifications; and hi…
Approaching Retirement After a Working Life in Poverty
This paper uses a life course perspective to explore and understand how an individual’s experiences over their lifetime contribute to the formation of a growing consciousness about their impending retirement. The fieldwork took place in 2016 and was part of a wider mixed methods study about retirement in the UK, which used data from the 1958 birth cohort study (also known as the National Child Development Study). The paper focuses on the qualitat…
Pathways from origins to destinations: Stability and change in the roles of cognition, private schools and educational attainment
While much attention has been devoted to measuring levels of social mobility over time, less attention has been given to the possibility of changing pathways to social mobility. This paper examines pathways from social origins to socio-economic destinations in midlife for two British cohorts, born in 1958 and 1970 respectively, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). We address the roles of cognitive attainment, private schooling and education…
The relationship between child behaviour problems at school entrance and teenage vocabulary acquisition: A comparison of two generations of British children born 30 years apart
Behaviour problems in early childhood have a lasting impact on cognitive development and education attainment in later adolescence and into adulthood. Here we address the relationship conduct and hyperactivity problems at school entrance, and vocabulary acquisition in adolescence. We compare performance in identical assessments across two generations of British children born 30 years apart in 1970 ( n = 15,676) and 2000/2 ( n = 16,628) and find t…
Education and psychological distress in adolescence and mid‐life: Do private schools make a difference
This article extends the evidence base on childhood circumstances, education and psychological distress. We examine the link between childhood advantage and disadvantage, the type of school attended during adolescence and psychological distress at ages 16 and 42. The analysis uses a large, population‐based birth cohort study, the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) ( n = 17,198) using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. More advantaged …
Intergenerational transmission of educational disadvantage: Education progression of children of care leavers compared to a general population sample
There is persistent evidence showing that care leavers tend to have lower educational outcomes compared to their peers. There is, however, less knowledge of whether this educational disadvantage transfers to the second generation. This study adopts a developmental contextual life‐course approach to examine: (a) the extent of educational inequality of children of care leavers from school entry to public examinations at age 16; (b) the relative rol…
Are Right-Wing Attitudes and Voting Associated with Having Attended Private School? An Investigation Using the 1970 British Cohort Study
This article addresses the question of whether attending a private school affects voting behaviour and political attitudes in adulthood in Britain. The analysis is based upon the British Cohort Study, a nationally representative cohort of children born in one week in April 1970. The 'effect' of attending a private school on the tendency to vote Conservative in four consecutive General Elections, and on the expression of conservative attitudes in …
How has the employment gap of those growing up with special educational needs or disability in England changed over two cohorts born 30 years apart
Across the world, disabled working age adults face substantial labour market disadvantage, though with variation by age. For example, in the UK, the disability employment gap remains greater among those who are older. To investigate whether this means that more recent cohorts face less disadvantage or instead captures a greater impact of disability at older ages, we compare two British cohorts born in 1958 and 1989/90 identified with special educ…
Transgenerational transmission of trauma. Heterogeneity in the experiences of mothers who experienced out-of-home care (OHC) and adjustment of their children
Original evidence on the heterogeneity in adult adjustment of mothers with OHC experience. • About a third of mothers with OHC experience demonstrate resilience across domains. • Another third of OHC experienced mothers report high economic and mental health problems. • About one on four of mothers with OHC face mainly economic problems. • Children of resilient mothers with OHC experience are doing ok academically. • Yet there is also evidence to…
Harmonised fertility histories in four British longitudinal cohort studies
BACKGROUNDSince World War II, Britain has witnessed significant societal changes, including in relation to fertility.Robust longitudinal and cross-cohort research requires data harmonisation to create comparable fertility measures to understand the predictors and consequences of these changes across generations. OBJECTIVEThis paper describes newly created datasets on fertility histories that have been derived and harmonised across four longitudin…
Do occupational aspirations of children help to explain ethnic differences in labour market outcomes
Across the UK’s ethnic groups there is substantial variation in labour market outcomes, driven in part by differences in occupational concentration. Yet we lack insight into whether these outcomes may be shaped, in part, by differences in preferences deriving from group-level cultural socialisation. We shed light on this question using the nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study. We study the occupational aspirations of girls and boys p…
Psychology (21 works) · Cohort (18 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Developmental psychology (14 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Demography (12 works) · Political science (11 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies (9 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (8 works)