New research carried out at the University of Dundee supports the theory that American-style university entrance testing has significant value in assessing disadvantaged students, whose school grades often do not reflect their academic ability.
Researchers from the University's renowned Wider Access Study Centre studied the hotly debated Scholastic Assessment Test's (SAT) effectiveness in gauging the academic potential of students admitted onto the Access Summer School. In 63%, or around two thirds of cases, the SAT accurately predicted whether students would perform above or below the class average.
As the academic potential of most Access students had not been predicted by their traditional school examinations, the fact that 31% of the test-takers scored above American averages in verbal reasoning shows that the SAT can sometimes spot academic potential where school results have not.
Dr Jennifer Leeder, from the Wider Access Study Centre said, " SATs could be a welcome addition to school assessments, particularly for disadvantaged students whose school grades don't generally reflect their ability. These positive results have encouraged us a great deal and we have won more funding to work on further tests with SATs next summer on a new cohort of students. "
The SAT study was one of three research projects in widening participation, funded by the Sutton Trust and carried out over the last year by the University's Wider Access Study Centre. Collectively titled "Emerging from Exclusion through Education to Employment", the aim was to comprehensively assess the experience of non-advantaged students during their school years, through University and on into the workplace.
The three projects targeted Dundee schools, University of Dundee students and University of Dundee graduates. The recommendations which emerged are:
1) Much more university input is needed in low-progression to university local schools to raise awareness about university as an option and to keep the aspirations of young people alive.
2) More investigation is needed into alternative assessment methods for underprivileged students whose academic abilities are not fully recorded whilst at school. SAT-style assessments and other psychometric test models need to undergo further comparative trials to see which is the best model at predicting university performance.
3) On graduating from the University of Dundee, a shockingly high 96% of former Access graduates identified barriers to their progression in the graduate market to do with their lack of finances and lack of relevant working experience. Some 69% of non-Access graduates reported similar difficulties. Employers, universities and government must all work together more closely to support graduates into the world of work.
Although the research has been local in scale, Dr Leeder believes the results of the projects have potential to inform a whole spectrum of debates surrounding education and employment opportunities for bright students from non-privileged backgrounds.
She said, "Each of the projects is important in its own right and linking them in a unified piece of research gives us a comprehensive view of the manifold barriers to progression which are still faced by non-privileged students from school right through to employment."
Sutton Trusts director Dr Tessa Stone said, " We are delighted to be working with Dundee on this excellent research. The results outlined here further support the national research on the SAT carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research which the Sutton Trust commissioned, and which identified 30 students (5% of the sample) in low-attaining schools whose school results would not have won them a place at a leading British University, but who scored high enough in the SAT to be considered by a leading US university. Dundee's research findings reinforce the importance of developing a means of assessing academic potential in addition to achievement tests."
Contact Dr Leeder on 344370
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk