Evaluation of the Two Year Key Stage 3 Project - Communities and ...

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pupils at Phase 2 Project and Comparison schools tended to be smaller than for Phase 1 pupils (this wastrue in all cases except for the ‘good teachers’ scale).Table 8 - Percentage deterioration in scores from Years 7 to 9: Pupils at Phase 1 Project andComparison schools who completed a questionnaire in all three yearsScale% change in mean scale scorefrom Year 7 to Year 9(N=3938)Work respected by peers -26Extra curricular participation -21Good teachers -17Participation in extra-curricular activities respected by peers -14Positive school atmosphere -14Like school work -9Conformity -8Positive peer group -7Parental interest -6Aspirations 2Social integration 4Among pupils who completed questionnaires each year, deteriorations in scale scores could then becompared between those pupils exposed to a Two Year Key Stage 3 and those attending Comparisonschools. In the case of Phase 1 pupils we were able to examine changes in attitude scores from Years 7to 8 and also from Years 8 to 9. 22From Year 7 to 8, Phase 1 Project school pupils’ scores declined significantly less than those of pupilsat Phase 1 Comparison schools on three of the seven scales. These comprised the ‘like school work’,‘positive school atmosphere’ and ‘positive peer group’ scales. However, from Year 8 to 9 asignificantly larger deterioration was then seen among pupils exposed to a two year Key Stage 3 for allthree of these scales, as well as on a further four of the scales. The four other scales seeing a largerdeterioration from Year 8 to 9 were the ‘extra-curricular participation’, ‘conformity’, ‘good teachers’and ‘work respected by peers’ scales.The relatively positive changes in scale scores from Year 7 to 8 were therefore balanced by relativelynegative changes from Year 8 to 9, with the effect that a significant difference in the change to a scalescore from Year 7 to Year 9 was only present for one of the scales. This was for the ‘extra-curricularactivities’ scale which saw a larger deterioration among Project school pupils than among Comparisonschool pupils.However, when examining changes in scale scores among pupils at Phase 2 schools a different patternof differences emerged from Year 7 to 8. Where significant differences occurred, being exposed to acondensed curriculum at a Project school was associated with larger deteriorations in scale scores. Thiswas the case for the ‘extra-curricular participation’, ‘conformity’ and the ‘good teachers’ scales.In summary, we see that when comparing Phase 1 school pupils and Phase 1 Comparison school pupils,the benign significant differences in change scores from Year 7 to 8 were followed by significantnegative change scores from Year 8 to 9. In the case of a comparison between Phase 2 Project schoolsand Phase 2 Comparison schools, where there are significant differences in change scores from Year 722 Comparisons, using independent samples t tests, between the deteriorations of scale scores at Phase 1 Project and Phase 1comparison and Phase 2 Project and Phase 2 comparison schools are shown in Annex E.25
to 8 these were in the opposite direction than was the case for Phase 1 (although for different scalescores).In short, the differences in change scores do not show a consistent pattern between Phase 1 and Phase 2.In addition, for the Phase 1 Comparison, changes from Year 7 to 8 and from Year 8 to 9 do not show aconsistent pattern. Thus, in relation to these global measures of motivation and engagement, theevidence arising from the pupil questionnaires does not support the view that participation in the TwoYear Key Stage 3 enhanced pupils’ motivation and engagement in any clear and consistent manner. 235.1 Condensed courses, subject options and subject popularityPupils’ motivation and engagement with particular subjects may be linked to their enjoyment of thosesubjects. Pupils were asked in the questionnaire whether they liked particular subjects. 24 We weretherefore able to compare the popularity of subjects among those following condensed courses andthose following conventional three year courses at Comparison schools. Once again, the data presentedin this section relates to pupils who completed questionnaires in all possible years. We have focusedour attention here on Phase 1 schools only. This is for two reasons. First, the number of pupils exposedto a two year Key Stage 3 in individual subjects is much higher among Phase 1 schools than at Phase 2schools. Second, the Phase 1 pupils completed questionnaires in Year 7, Year 8 and also Year 9. Year9 was of particular interest as pupils completing a Key Stage 3 in Year 8 would by then have moved onto a different programme of study or perhaps to different subjects.Figure 9 shows, for selected subjects that are compulsory during both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, thepercentage of pupils reporting ‘I like this subject’ when in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9. We see thatDesign and Technology and also ICT remain popular subjects throughout these years and that scienceshowed a decline in popularity from Year 7 to 8.Interestingly, given the attainment findings reported earlier, pupils at Phase 1 Project schoolssignificantly more frequently reported that they liked mathematics than was the case for pupils at Phase1 Comparison schools in both Year 7 (38 per cent versus 34 per cent) and Year 8 (34 per cent versus 27per cent). In contrast, English was less frequently reported to be popular by Project school pupils thanComparison school pupils in all three years (40 per cent versus 46 per cent, 41 per cent versus 46 percent and 40 per cent versus 44 per cent respectively). In addition, ICT was significantly less popular atProject schools in all three years and science significantly less popular in Year 9.23 The Project and comparison groups of schools included varying proportions of girls and also of single sex schools.However, when this analysis was repeated within sex groups and only for pupils attending coeducational schools, the resultsremained substantially the same.24 Response categories were ‘I like this’, ‘I neither like nor dislike this’, ‘I don’t like this’ and ‘I do not do this subject’.26
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCHEvaluation of the Two YearK
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY 21. EVALU
Page 6: nationally expected level for pupil
Page 9 and 10: For schools operating an accelerate
Page 11 and 12: 2.2 Attainment and attitudesThe tim
Page 13 and 14: could follow a Year 7 and Year 8 Ke
Page 15 and 16: Figure 2 - Percentage of Project sc
Page 17 and 18: The analysis of Key Stage 3 results
Page 19 and 20: Table 4 - Proportion of pupils achi
Page 21 and 22: Figure 4 - 2005 Key Stage 3 mathema
Page 23 and 24: Table 6 - Proportion of pupils achi
Page 25 and 26: SummaryIn the case of English, when
Page 27: 4.4 Attainment summaryThe analysis
Page 31 and 32: Figure 10 - Percentage of Year 7 pu
Page 33 and 34: 6. ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY DATAAs ha
Page 35 and 36: Table 9 - Operationalisation of the
Page 37 and 38: 6.1 Overall viewsMost, though not a
Page 39 and 40: Points of interest for the higher s
Page 41 and 42: The key advantage is opening up Key
Page 43 and 44: 6.3 ProgressionNevertheless, findin
Page 45 and 46: would no longer exist. Both of the
Page 47 and 48: However, as a colleague noted, even
Page 49 and 50: Most commonly the freedom was used
Page 51 and 52: Phase 2 Project and Phase 2 Compari
Page 53 and 54: A11 - Key Stage 3 attainmentProject
Page 55 and 56: A20 - Reported number of books in t
Page 57 and 58: The variables listed below were inc
Page 59 and 60: Table C1 - Final model for Year 7 M
Page 62 and 63: Table C3 - Final model for Year 7 E
Page 64 and 65: Figure C2 - Year 7 English Optional
Page 66 and 67: Table C8 - Final model for Year 8 m
Page 68 and 69: Figure C4 - Year 8 mathematics high
Page 70 and 71: Table C11 - Final model for Year 8
Page 72: Good teachersMy teachers make sure
Page 75 and 76: ANNEX F - CASE STUDY SUMMARIESPhoeb
Page 77 and 78: Abbotswell SchoolThe case study vis
Page 79 and 80:
Elsiemaud SchoolThe case study visi
Page 81 and 82:
Henryson SchoolThe case study visit
Page 83 and 84:
ANNEX G - OTHER EARLY ENTRANTS TO 2
Page 85 and 86:
Table G5 - Key Stage 3 Mathematics
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