July 5th 2024.
According to a recent 11-year study on Australia's education system, it seems that attending an academically selective school may not necessarily be beneficial for bright students in the long run. Despite the efforts of thousands of Australian parents who invest large sums of money and time in preparing their children for entrance exams, the study found that there was little difference in outcomes between students who attended selective schools and those who did not.
Melissa Tham, a research fellow at Victoria University, explains that many parents believe enrolling their children in a selective school will increase their chances of getting into a prestigious university and securing a well-paying, high-status job. However, the reality may not be that straightforward.
In this new study, researchers from Victoria University followed almost 3000 school students from the age of 15 in 2009, using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. As expected, students who attended selective schools scored higher on average in reading and mathematics tests. However, when these students were assessed at the ages of 19 and 25, there was little difference in their educational or job outcomes compared to their non-selective peers.
Interestingly, the study found that 81% of selective school students went on to secure a job or university place at 19, while only 77.6% of non-selective school students did the same. However, this gap disappeared once the researchers took into account factors such as the students' socioeconomic background, gender, and geographical location.
It's worth noting that while selective schools are part of the public education system, a large number of students who attend these schools come from high socioeconomic backgrounds and can afford private tutoring for the academic selection tests. For example, in New South Wales, almost three-quarters of students at selective schools come from the highest quarter of socioeconomic advantage, while only 2% come from the lowest quarter.
By the age of 25, the study found that there were no significant differences between selective school students and their non-selective peers, except for general life satisfaction, which was slightly higher for those who attended a selective school. Surprisingly, students who attended non-selective schools were just as likely to go on to study at university or secure a job.
Co-author of the study, Andrew Wade, explains that these modest findings suggest that attending an academically selective school may not bring significant benefits to individuals. This raises questions about the principles of inclusive and equitable education that underpin Australia's school system.
Currently, New South Wales is home to the majority of the country's selective schools, with a total of 46. Queensland and Victoria each have four selective schools, while Western Australia has only one. Tasmania, South Australia, Canberra, and the Northern Territory do not have any selective schools at all.
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