British educational trajectories from school to university: evaluating quantitative evidence in policy formulation and justification. (20th April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Johnston, Ron; Manley, David; Jones, Kelvyn; Hoare, Anthony; Harris, Richard
• Is Part Of: Policy and politics. Volume 45:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 137
• Page End: 155
• Publication Date: 2017-04-20
• Subjects: UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS -- SCHOOL EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE -- UNIVERSITY DEGREE PERFORMANCE -- CONTINGENCY TABLES; Local government -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Policy sciences -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.605
• DOI: 10.1332/030557316X14598535404750
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-5736

Abstract

Abstract : The increasing volume of available 'big data' contains great potential for public policy to be evidence-based – as long as they are properly analysed and fully appreciated. This paper examines a case where that did not happen, and as a consequence an ideological-driven policy change was supported by a poor analysis of the available data. Using the same data, analyses employing a novel procedure falsify the government's arguments: many well-qualified students for courses in the country's leading universities may not be offered places there in the absence of data on their academic progress during their two years of post-secondary education.