Dear all, 

We are pleased to announce the second series of Advanced Quantitative Special Interest Group (Quant. SIG) seminars hosted at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. This term we have an excellent range of speakers planned including Herb Marsh, Pam Sammons, Lars-Erik Malmberg, James Hall, James Foreman-Peck, John Fletcher and Ioulia Televantou.The Hilary term Quant. SIG seminar series will begin next Monday, 23rd of January 2012, with a talk by Professor James Foreman-Peck (University of Cardiff) on the following subject: 

Schooling, Child Labour and School Quality

Please find the abstract for this and other upcoming talks in this series below.

As usual the Quant SIG seminars will take place between 12.15pm and 2pm on Mondays in Seminar Room J, 28 Norham Gardens (Department of Education), Oxford OX2 7PY. If you do not already have access to the building, please contact [log in to unmask] to arrange access.

Best wishes, 

Patrick Alexander


Dr. Patrick Alexander
Research Officer, SELF Research Centre, Department of Education, University of Oxford
College Lecturer (Social Anthropology), St. Hugh's College

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Advanced Quantitative Research Methods Special Interest Group (Quant SIG)
Meetings are held weekly during term times on Mondays from 12:15 to 2:00pm, in Seminar Room J (computer lab), Department of Education, 28 Norham Gardens.

Hilary Term 2012 Quant SIG Programme

Week One: January 16 
No Quant SIG seminar.

Week Two: January 23
Speaker:  Professor James Foreman-Peck (University of Cardiff)
Title: Schooling, Child Labour and School Quality
Abstract: Our model of the choice between schooling and child labour predicts that even if a household is ‘above subsistence’, child school attendance is reduced when school quality is poor. The converse is true for child labour. For Pakistani rural households in 2004-5, the econometric results support the model prediction that school quality is a critical factor affecting schooling and child labour decisions. By contrast neither subsistence poverty nor credit constraints appear to influence the choice. We calculate that an improvement in school quality from the worst level in the sample to the best could be worth to the average household more than one third of their per capita expenditure. There is also evidence that fertility is responsive to schooling/child labour. Hence, in addition to the direct school quality effect on school attendance, there is also an indirect impact on fertility.  

Week Three:  January 30
Speaker:  John Fletcher (Department of Education, University of Oxford)
Title:  Measurement Error and School Effects.
Abstract: Historically, school effectiveness has been estimated using multi-level models, which have not taken account of measurement error. Failure to take account of measurement error leads to biased estimation. In this case study, I investigated whether taking account of measurement error in the English Contextual Value Added model leads to substantively important differences in the overall size of school effects or in the ranking of schools. I took account of measurement error on National Curriculum end stage tests used in this model by comparing pupils' scores on pairs of similar tests. I tested the sensitivity of the model to measurement error on eligibility for free school meals (FSM) by fitting hypothetical error variances and by incorporating a contextual aggregate in the model. I found that taking account of measurement error has little impact on the estimation of school effectiveness in this model. The inclusion of a contextual aggregate for FSM marginally reduced the estimated variation in the contribution of schools.

Week Four: February 6
Speaker: Dr. James Hall
Title: Interaction, Moderation, and Mediation: Definitions, Discrimination, and (some) means of testing
Abstract: In 1986 Baron and Kenny set out to clarify the differences between the terms “Moderation” and “Mediation” as used in the social sciences.  Twenty six years later, the seminal paper that this collaboration resulted in (published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) has been around 30,347 times (Google Scholar on 12/01/2012). This is an average of 1,167 each year - the equivalent of more than once every 8 hours for over a quarter of a century.  Despite this citation record, the uncertainty surrounding these terms has not gone away.  Academics still struggle to define, distinguish and utilise these terms while related undergraduate teaching is still an exception.  This presentation sets out simple, clear definitions that distinguish “Interaction”, “Moderation”, and “Mediation” as well as a number of other commonly-used terms.  An introduction is given on how to use these concepts in ‘real-life research’ with worked-through examples provided.  The presentation slides themselves also serve as a short primer for future reference.

Week Five:  February 13
Speaker: Dr. Lars-Erik  Malmberg
Title: Two- and three-level structural equation models
Abstract: TBC

Week Six:  February 20
Speaker:  Professor Pam Sammons (Department of Education, University of Oxford)
(other authors: James Hall, Kathy Silva)
Title: Protecting the development of 5-11 year olds from the impacts of early disadvantage:  The Role of Primary School Academic Effectiveness
Abstract: Whether or not more effective schools can successfully mitigate the impacts of early disadvantage upon latter educational attainment remains uncertain in both the Educational Effectiveness and Risk and Resilience research traditions.  Here, both fields are drawn upon in a prospective longitudinal investigation of 2,664 children between the ages of 6-11 years whose academic skills in English and maths along with self regulation were measured at ages 6, 7, and 11 years( based on the Effective Provision of Pre-school and Primary Education 3-11 project sample). The results of a multilevel Structural Equation model that allowed us to test the hypothesis that attending a more academically effective primary school could lessen the adverse developmental impact of experiencing multiple (early) disadvantages on child outcomes measured over-time at ages 6, 7, and 11 years will be presented.  Experiencing a greater number of early disadvantages between birth to age 5 was found to strongly impair self regulation and academic attainment throughout primary school.  However, attending a more academically effective primary school for just a single year was found to partially protect reading, maths, and self regulation outcomes at age 6 from the adverse impact of early disadvantage.  Further, more academically effective primary schools were also found to offer an additional longer-term form of protection - they significantly lessened the extent to which earlier abilities in reading, writing, and self regulation predicted these same abilities at age 11.   Although more academically effective primary schools cannot remove the impacts of disadvantage, the results suggest they can make a significant and positive difference to the longer term academic attainment and self regulation of primary school children who experienced more disadvantages before the start of school and so help to mitigate their negative consequences.

Week Seven: February 27
Speaker: Ioulia Televantou
Title & Abstract: TBC

Week Eight: March 5
Speaker: Professor Herb Marsh (via Skype)
Title & Abstract: TBC

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