eprintid: 10043232
rev_number: 44
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/10/04/32/32
datestamp: 2018-02-15 16:22:15
lastmod: 2021-12-06 23:40:25
status_changed: 2018-03-28 11:57:56
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Smith-Woolley, E
creators_name: Pingault, J-B
creators_name: Selzam, S
creators_name: Rimfeld, K
creators_name: Krapohl, E
creators_name: von Stumm, S
creators_name: Asbury, K
creators_name: Dale, P
creators_name: Young, T
creators_name: Allen, RF
creators_name: Kovas, Y
creators_name: Plomin, R
title: Differences in exam performance between pupils attending selective and non-selective schools mirror the genetic differences between them
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B16
divisions: B14
divisions: B02
divisions: C07
divisions: D05
divisions: F66
keywords: Education, Human behaviour
note: Copyright © The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
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abstract: On average, students attending selective schools outperform their non-selective counterparts in national exams. These differences are often attributed to value added by the school, as well as factors schools use to select pupils, including ability, achievement and, in cases where schools charge tuition fees or are located in affluent areas, socioeconomic status. However, the possible role of DNA differences between students of different schools types has not yet been considered. We used a UK-representative sample of 4814 genotyped students to investigate exam performance at age 16 and genetic differences between students in three school types: state-funded, non-selective schools (‘non-selective’), state-funded, selective schools (‘grammar’) and private schools, which are selective (‘private’). We created a genome-wide polygenic score (GPS) derived from a genome-wide association study of years of education (EduYears). We found substantial mean genetic differences between students of different school types: students in non-selective schools had lower EduYears GPS compared to those in grammar (d = 0.41) and private schools (d = 0.37). Three times as many students in the top EduYears GPS decile went to a selective school compared to the bottom decile. These results were mirrored in the exam differences between school types. However, once we controlled for factors involved in pupil selection, there were no significant genetic differences between school types, and the variance in exam scores at age 16 explained by school type dropped from 7% to <1%. These results show that genetic and exam differences between school types are primarily due to the heritable characteristics involved in pupil admission.
date: 2018-03
date_type: published
official_url: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0019-8
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1534582
doi: 10.1038/s41539-018-0019-8
lyricists_name: Allen, Rebecca
lyricists_name: Pingault, Jean-Baptiste
lyricists_name: Smith-Woolley, Emily
lyricists_id: RALLE64
lyricists_id: JPING85
lyricists_id: ESMIA08
actors_name: Allen, Rebecca
actors_id: RALLE64
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: npj Science of Learning
volume: 3
article_number: 3
issn: 2056-7936
citation:        Smith-Woolley, E;    Pingault, J-B;    Selzam, S;    Rimfeld, K;    Krapohl, E;    von Stumm, S;    Asbury, K;                     ... Plomin, R; + view all <#>        Smith-Woolley, E;  Pingault, J-B;  Selzam, S;  Rimfeld, K;  Krapohl, E;  von Stumm, S;  Asbury, K;  Dale, P;  Young, T;  Allen, RF;  Kovas, Y;  Plomin, R;   - view fewer <#>    (2018)    Differences in exam performance between pupils attending selective and non-selective schools mirror the genetic differences between them.                   npj Science of Learning , 3     , Article 3.  10.1038/s41539-018-0019-8 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0019-8>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10043232/1/Allen_School%20types%20and%20performance%20npj%20Science%20of%20learning%20.pdf