Junior cycle methods explain why middle class students perform better

MISBEHAVIOUR and class streaming are causing greater numbers of students from working class backgrounds to switch off from school in the run-up to the Junior Certificate, research has found.

The study of more than 900 students from first year to completion of their first state exam was carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

It found that processes in the junior cycle of second-level education help explain the better academic performance of middle class students. One example is the fact that those from the working class are more likely to attend schools where classes are streamed according to ability and, therefore, less likely to move from ordinary level to higher level in many subjects.