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Geography remains a critical factor that shapes the development of aspirations, attainment, and choice in young people. We focus on the role of geography on university entry and aspirations due to the increasing requirement in society for a higher education qualification for access to prestigious positions in society. Using a large representative longitudinal database ( N = 11,999; 50 % male; 27 % provincial or rural; 2 % Indigenous) of Australia youth we explore the association between distance to a university campus and the critical attainment outcomes of university entry and enrolment in an elite university as well as critical predictors of these outcomes in access to information resources (i.e., university outreach programs) and university aspirations. In doing so, we provide new insight into distance effects, and the extent that these are due to selection, cost, and community influence. Our findings suggest that distance is significantly associated with both university expectations and entrance, with an especially large impact upon young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. However, we also find little evidence that distance is related to attending a university led information session. Our conclusion is that distance effects cannot be fully explained by selection in terms of academic achievement and socioeconomic status, and that anticipatory decisions and costs are the most likely drivers of the distance effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the time children leave primary school there is a large socio-economic gap in their reading proficiency. There are a number of potential explanations for this socio-economic gap and in this paper we investigate the role of three particular genes and gene-environment interactions in determining children's reading skills, using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ( ALSPAC) dataset. We find that whilst these genes are indeed correlated with reading outcomes, effect sizes are small and sensitive to the choice of test used and the sample selected. Our results suggest that these leading candidate genes can jointly explain just 2% of the socio-economic gap in children's reading test scores. We conclude that the influence of these three genes on children's reading ability is limited, and their role in producing socio-economic gaps in reading ability is even more limited still. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing concern that many American teenagers hold unrealistic educational plans. This may indicate a detachment from reality, which could be detrimental to well-being in later life. But is this problem specific to certain countries like the United States, or is it common among young people from across the developed world? This article uses data from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study ( TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment ( PISA) to investigate this issue. It shows how expected and actual college graduation rates differ across a number of countries but also that this gap is particularly large in the United States. Additional analysis suggests that this is being driven, at least in part, by the large proportion of low-achieving American children who believe they will go on to obtain a bachelor's degree. The implications of these findings are discussed in reference to educational policy and contemporary sociological debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While there is evidence for socioeconomic inequalities in some adolescent substance use behaviors, there is limited information on how socioeconomic inequalities compare across European countries and over time. Objectives: To compare socioeconomic inequalities in problematic adolescent substance use (regular smoking, heavy episodic drinking, and cannabis use) across 24 European countries at two time points. Methods: We use the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) to examine socioeconomic inequalities in problematic adolescent substance use across 24 European countries in 2007 (n = 73,877) and 2011 (n = 71,060) using within country logistic regressions. Socioeconomic inequalities are measured using a relative index of inequality based on highest level of parental education relative to country of residence within survey year. Countries are ranked according to socioeconomic differentials. Results: In 2007, lower socioeconomic status (SES) adolescents had significantly higher odds of heavy episodic drinking in 10 countries, regular smoking in 12 countries, and recent cannabis use in 1 country. In 2011, the number of countries were 11, 15, and 0, respectively. In 2007, lower SES adolescents had a significantly lower odds of heavy episodic drinking in one country, regular smoking in one country, and cannabis use in four countries. In 2011, the number of countries were two, one, and six, respectively. There was little evidence for changes in socioeconomic inequalities over time. Conclusions: There are large country level differences in socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Information Distortion Model (IDM), we hypothesized higher academic interest among low socioeconomic (SES) Australian children compared to equally able high SES Australian children. We extend the IDM in two ways. First, the IDM is a model of school selection and thus empirical evidence of its effect needs to come from a model that controls for achievement prior to school selection. Second, the mechanism of the IDM is presumed to be the big-fish-little-pond-effect (BFLPE), which has not been tested. We used a longitudinal representative sample of first-year high-school students (age ~12, N = 2507). We linked student high-school survey data to the whole of school and individual student administrative records of achievement from high-stakes national standardized tests in elementary and high-school. Our results were consistent with IDM for math interest but more mixed for reading interest, suggesting that additional processes may be in operation. • This study tested the Information Distortion Model (IDM). • We considered the Big-fish-little-pond effect as the main IDM mechanism. • Low SES children had higher numeracy interest than equally able high SES children. • Results were more mixed for reading interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]