Email this article How does a vocational qualification (BTEC) prepare students for a degree in Biosciences at a research intensive university?
Abstract
Over the last decade the number of students coming to university with a BTEC qualification has risen. As BTEC students are more likely to come from widening participation backgrounds, accepting students with a BTEC qualification has been instrumental in helping universities to broaden access to Higher Education. However, the poorer progression and retention of students attending university with a BTEC qualification is a key area of concern. The aim of this study was to explore the transition experience of Biosciences students entering university with a BTEC qualification in order to better target support for these students. Focus groups with current students who entered university with a BTEC qualification, and semi-structured interviews with teaching staff at feeder colleges, highlighted that the BTEC equipped students with many transferable skills relevant to university study. In particular it prepared students for time management, report writing, practical laboratory work and working independently. However, our findings suggest that further support is required in mathematics, chemistry, examination and revision techniques. We propose that instilling confidence, encouraging friendship groups, more transparent advertising and developing inclusive curricula may help to improve BTEC student retention and progression.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Al Meselmani, M., Baker, Z., Basi, A., Broglia, E., Sutherland-Jarvest, A. & Towers, L. (2018). Finding Potential: How a selective University can attract and ratain high quality students with equivalent qualifications to A-levels. [Online]. The University of Sheffield Available: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.779993!/file/Finding_Potential-Final_Report_Equivalent_Qualifications_Project.pdf [Accessed 09/10/2018].
Archer, J., Cantwell, R. & Bourke, S. (1999). Coping at University: an examination of achievement, motivation, self‐regulation, confidence, and method of entry. Higher Education Research & Development, 18, 31-54. DOI: 10.1080/0729436990180104.
Banerjee, P.A. (2018). Widening participation in higher education with a view to implementing institutional change. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 22, 75-81. DOI: 10.1080/13603108.2018.1441198.
Banerjee, P.A., Myhill, D. & Robinson, C. (2017). Does prior qualification affect degree outcomes? [Online]. Working paper. Available: https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/30283 [Accessed 26/06/2018].
Beetham, H. & Sharpe, R. (2013). Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: Designing for 21st century learning, New York, Routledge.
Boud, D., Cohen, R. & Sampson, J. (2014). Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other, New York, Routledge.
Braun, M. (2019). A pilot study investigating further education engineering lecturers’ readiness for the shift in Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) assessment. Research in Education, 105, 42-59. DOI: 10.1177/0034523718771091.
Brunel University. (2017). Improving Transition from School and College to University. Available from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/brunel_university_london_hea_executive_summary.pdf [Accessed 16/06/2018]
Burrell, H. (2010). Do A-level results in biology and chemistry inform 1st year pass rate for biomolecular science students? Innovations in Practice, 2, 52-61.
Christie, H., Tett, L., Cree, V. E., Hounsell, J. & Mccune, V. (2008). A real rollercoaster of confidence and emotions’: learning to be a university student. Studies in Higher Education, 33, 567-581. DOI: 10.1080/03075070802373040.
Cornish, F., Gillespie, A. & Zittoun, T. (2014). Collaborative Analysis of Qualitative Data. In: FLICK, U. (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. Los Angeles: Sage.
Dear, D.V. (2017). Do student-centred learning activities improve learning outcomes on a BTEC Applied Science course in FE? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 41, 717-726. DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2016.1177170.
Dehaan, R.L. (2011). Teaching creative science thinking. Science, 334, 1499-1500.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. (2014). National Strategy for access and student success in Higher Education. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-strategy-for-access-and-student-success [Accessed 06/01/2018]
Gartland, C.E. & Smith, C. (2018). Supporting progression to HE: the role of colleges and vocational courses. Education+ Training, 60, 637-650. DOI: 10.1108/ET-02-2018-0053.
Gicheva, N. & Petrie, K. (2018). Vocation, Vocation, Vocation. [Online]. Social Market Foundation. Available: http://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/SMF-Vocation-Vocation-Vocation.pdf [Accessed 10/07/2018].
Gill, T. & Vidal Rodeiro, C. (2014). Predictive validity of level 3 qualifications [Online]. Cambridge Assessment. Available: http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/178062-predictive-validity-of-level-3-qualifications.pdf [Accessed 01/10/2017].
Gorard, S., Boliver, V., Siddiqui, N. & Banerjee, P. (2017). Which are the most suitable contextual indicators for use in widening participation to HE? Research Papers in Education, 1-31. DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2017.140208.
HM Government. (2017). Building our Industrial Strategy. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/building-our-industrial-strategy [Accessed 06/06/2018]
Hobley, J. (2016). ‘Here’s the iPad’. The BTEC philosophy: how not to teach science to vocational students. Research in Post-compulsory Education, 21, 434-446. DOI: 10.1080/13596748.2016.1226586.
Holland, D. (2017). Progression and achievement of first-year students in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University, 2015-16. Trent Institute for Learning and Teaching Conference, 'Success for All: Advancing Inclusive Curricula and Pedagogies'. Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham.
Jensen, J.L., Mcdaniel, M.A., Woodard, S.M. & Kummer, T. A. (2014). Teaching to the test… or testing to teach: Exams requiring higher order thinking skills encourage greater conceptual understanding. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 307-329.
Kelly, S. (2017). Reforming BTECS: Applied General qualifications as a route to higher education [Online]. HEPI Report 94. HEPI. Available: http://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Hepi_Reforming-BTECs-Report-94-09_02_17-Web.pdf [Accessed 10/01/2018].
Koenig, J. (2011). A survey of the mathematics landscape within bioscience undergraduate and postgraduate UK higher education, Leeds: UK Centre for Bioscience, Higher Education.
Mallman, M. & Lee, H. (2016). Stigmatised learners: mature-age students negotiating university culture. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37, 684-701. DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2014.973017.
Mallman, M. & Lee, H. (2017). Isolated learners: young mature-age students, university culture, and desire for academic sociality. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 36, 512-525. DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2017.1302012.
Mian, E., Richards, B. & Broughton, N. (2016). Passports to Progress: How do vocational qualifications help young people in building their careers? Part 2. [Online]. Social Market Foundation. Available: http://www.smf.co.uk/publications/passports-to-progress-vocational-qualifications/ [Accessed 26/06/2018].
Momsen, J.L., Long, T.M., Wyse, S.A. & Ebert-May, D. (2010). Just the facts? Introductory undergraduate biology courses focus on low-level cognitive skills. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 9, 435-440. DOI: 10.1187/cbe.10-01-0001.
Morgan, H. & Houghton, A.-M. (2011). Inclusive curriculum design in higher education: Considerations for effective practice across and within subject areas. The Higher Education Academy.
Pearson. (2015). Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate in Applied Science specification. [Online]. Available: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/BTEC-Nationals/Applied-Science/2016/specification-and-sample-assessments/9781446938157_BTECNat_AppSci_Cert_Spec.pdf [Accessed 06/09/2019].
Pearson. (n.d.). What is a BTEC? [Online]. Pearson Education Limited. Available: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/btec-brand/BTECbrand/W984_a%20BTEC%20ICB%20what%20is%20btec%20ipdf.pdf [Accessed 24/06/2018].
Rouncefield-Swales, A. (2014). Vocational progression to selecting universities: comparisons and trends 2010-13. Western Vocational Progression Consortium.
Shields, R. & Masardo, A. (2015). Changing patterns in vocational entry qualifications, student support and outcomes in undergraduate degree programmes [Online]. The Higher Education Academy. Available: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/changing-patterns-vocational-entry-qualifications-student-support-and-outcomes [Accessed 01/10/2017].
Social Mobility Commission. (2016). State of the nation 2016: Social mobility in Great Britain. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2016 [Accessed 26/06/2018]
Stuart, M. (2006). ‘My friends made all the difference’: getting into and succeeding at university for first-time entrants. Journal of Access Policy and Practice, 3, 27-40.
Vaismoradi, M., Jones, J., Turunen, H. & Snelgrove, S. (2016). Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6, 100-110. DOI: 10.5430/jnep.v6n5p100.
Wood, W. B. (2009). Innovations in teaching undergraduate biology and why we need them. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental, 25, 93-112.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i14.3315
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences
eISSN: 2753-4138