Research
A Qualitative Study of the Correlation Between Low Socio-Economic Status
A small scale qualitative study was undertaken in order to highlight the correlation between low socioeconomic status (SES) and high academic achievement in North East Lincolnshire. North East Lincolnshire has an Index of Multiple Deprivation score of 29.36, ranking the region as 52nd out of a total of 354 local authorities across the country. The region ranks within the most deprived 20% of districts nationally.
There are deep seated problems in the area, and more than a third of the population of Grimsby town centre live in areas that compare with the most deprived 10% in England. The participants were selected from a sample of students who were in their A2 year of study at Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education (GIFHE), and were North East Lincolnshire residents, living within the three most deprived wards of the region. As the purpose of this study is to discuss the correlation between low SES and academic performance then it is invaluable to learn that 33 of North East Lincolnshire’s low level super output areas (LLSOAs) are ranked within the 10% of areas in England with the least qualified and/or skilled residents. 17 more LLSOAs fall within the least skilled 20% of areas within the country, and most alarmingly one LLSOA within South Ward scored as the highest in England for education and skills deprivation – encompassing the immediate vicinity of the GIFHE campus. The participants were all categorised as being high academic achievers by measure of UCAS points attained, and were all interviewed by the researcher in order to elicit commonalities in their life history, their academic career thus far, and it was predicted that there would also be common motivating factors cited as strong positive influences that have driven the students forward.
The results demonstrate that there were a number of common factors across all aspects of the interviews, and all of the participants had experienced very similar issues in their coming of age. Motivating factors were also stated, and again there were a number of significant commonalities. It is hoped that although due to the small scale of this research these commonalities amongst the outliers can be recognised, and further research will lead to a better understanding of how to motivate low SES learners to achieve academically. Ultimately the results of further research could be taken on board by practitioners and life chances can be improved.
The full version of this research is available upon request. Please contact me for further details.