The new computing curriculum in English schools: a statistical analysis of student participation

TY - CONF

T1 - The new computing curriculum in English schools: a statistical analysis of student participation

AU - Kemp, Peter

AU - Berry, Miles

AU - Wong, Billy

PY - 2017/12/14

Y1 - 2017/12/14

N2 - In 2014 English schools undertook a shift from a mainly ICT based curriculum to one that focuses on computer science. New national qualifications in computer science have been introduced and ICT was subsequently phased out as a qualification in 2017. The question now arises as to whether the students who would have previously taken ICT qualifications are now taking the new computer science courses. Using student data (the National Pupil Database) for all English examinations taken by 16 and 18 year olds, we have been able to profile the student cohorts taking ICT and computing qualifications, as well as the schools offering them. We have analysed the differences between these two cohorts in terms of prior attainment, course outcomes, gender, socio-economic groupings, ethnicity, and geographic spread. We find that there are large differences between the two groups, with the computer science having far fewer female, working class and particular minority ethnic students. Computer science students tend to have achieved better in mathematics than their ICT peers, and there is some evidence that academic selection criteria are being used to restrict entry to some computing courses. We conclude that it is unlikely that all, or even most, students who would have previously sat ICT qualifications will now sit qualifications in computer science. The shift in curriculum and examinations appears to be producing a less inclusive subject with fewer students gaining an IT based qualification.

AB - In 2014 English schools undertook a shift from a mainly ICT based curriculum to one that focuses on computer science. New national qualifications in computer science have been introduced and ICT was subsequently phased out as a qualification in 2017. The question now arises as to whether the students who would have previously taken ICT qualifications are now taking the new computer science courses. Using student data (the National Pupil Database) for all English examinations taken by 16 and 18 year olds, we have been able to profile the student cohorts taking ICT and computing qualifications, as well as the schools offering them. We have analysed the differences between these two cohorts in terms of prior attainment, course outcomes, gender, socio-economic groupings, ethnicity, and geographic spread. We find that there are large differences between the two groups, with the computer science having far fewer female, working class and particular minority ethnic students. Computer science students tend to have achieved better in mathematics than their ICT peers, and there is some evidence that academic selection criteria are being used to restrict entry to some computing courses. We conclude that it is unlikely that all, or even most, students who would have previously sat ICT qualifications will now sit qualifications in computer science. The shift in curriculum and examinations appears to be producing a less inclusive subject with fewer students gaining an IT based qualification.

UR - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Billy_Wong/publication/323325023_The_New_Computing_Curriculum_in_English_Schools_A_Statistical_Analysis_of_Student_Participation_Poster/links/5a9283ac0f7e9ba4296e1b15/The-New-Computing-Curriculum-in-English-Schools-A-Statistical-Analysis-of-Student-Participation-Poster.pdf?_sg%5B0%5D=rEltJS_Aexwx6y3HycdOQpiMHnN5F57yLYQAoY7UhSdUmtX9L6oh8HqsszURICgxAUBFBcHzE1Le1Ii7WXGw1g.KZ2rO83Fc2M_baUGbURfTx2Jxm8H47ZTfVVweMR7WVOtAwIAnWo9r9QG5M_lfPn3V8cJcWh1YldSrXp0wSTXig&_sg%5B1%5D=bhInGh25xzObzQzJUNioacHmtDq-O9J6ueC4zubotjH0Amv9cwtivnJjiAUiK05XjHlxN3cidYoB5CG2h4PYMRCD-MA_eH3jmfkzAr59-1C-.KZ2rO83Fc2M_baUGbURfTx2Jxm8H47ZTfVVweMR7WVOtAwIAnWo9r9QG5M_lfPn3V8cJcWh1YldSrXp0wSTXig&_iepl=

U2 - 10.1145/3159450.3162257

DO - 10.1145/3159450.3162257

M3 - Poster

T2 - Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education

Y2 - 21 February 2018 through 24 February 2018

ER -