Teenagers’ Expectations of Applying to University: How do they Change?

Education Sciences

Jake Anders²  John Micklewright¹  Anna Vignoles³ 

[1] Department of Social Sciences, UCL Institute of Education, Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK; E-Mail:;National Institute of Economic and Social Research, 2 Dean Trench Street, London, SW1P 3HE, UK;id="af1-education-05-00281">1National Institute of Economic and Social Research, 2 Dean Trench Street, London, SW1P 3HE,

关键词: expectations;    university application;    family background;    LSYPE;   

DOI  :  10.3390/educsci5040281

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

We show how young people’s expectations about application to university change during the teenage years, drawing on the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE). We reveal the pattern of change by family background, prior attainment at the end of primary school (measured by Key Stage 2 tests) and, critically, the combination of the two. We document the relationship between expectations about university application and the decision on whether to stay on in full-time education at 16. We point to the importance of schools in sustaining or changing expectations. We relate the expectations reported by the teenagers in LSYPE to their actual university application decisions by age 20 or 21. Expectations are high but not universally high. Family background gaps in expectations widen during the teenage years.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.