Gender differences in students’ approaches to A‐level subject choices and perceptions of A‐level subjects: a study of first‐year A‐level students in a tertiary college

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The degree to which 16‐19‐year‐olds are properly advised concerning A‐level and other courses has recently become an issue of some political concern in the UK, following a report by the Audit Commission (1993) highlighting the wastage of resources ensuing from students failing to complete or failing their courses. The study described here follows an earlier project by one of the authors investigating approaches to subject option choice at 14 (Stables, 1986). In the present study, 209 first‐year A‐level students in a tertiary college completed a questionnaire during the Autumn term 1991 investigating their approaches to A‐level choice and their perceptions of their chosen subjects. Information was drawn concerning feelings about Year 11 subjects, reasons for choosing A‐level subjects, the function of A‐levels, advice sought and given, career aspirations and perceptions of A‐level courses. The findings are analysed by gender and ability grouping. They reveal gender differences in certain areas, suggesting a relative lack of confidence among the girls, despite the fact that the girls were significantly better qualified as a group for their A‐level courses than the boys. Such a lack of confidence could conceivably affect A‐level choices, course success, and subsequent course and career choice, and should therefore be noted by those offering guidance to students in schools and colleges.