Early-age indicators can predict adult outcomes

A child's poor achievement in adult years can already be spotted when the child is still 10 from what is known about the child's personal and family background. At an even earlier age, the academic ability of children as young adults can also be predicted from certain tasks for pre-school children, such as copying exercises and doing certain puzzles.

The findings are the result of a research - entitled The Social And Personal Benefits Of Learning: A Summary Of Key Research Findings - carried out at the Institute of Education of the University of London which explored the benefits of learning not only to the individual learner, but to a wider spectrum, including families, society and the whole country.

The researchers, who analysed their own studies of people aged almost 40 and 50, also reviewed the research carried out by the institute's Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning over the past decade. Their research reviews the impact of education on at least four areas - health, crime, parenting and citizenship - in line with the aim of education in general to reach not only the individual but society as a whole.

With respect to health, the research provided a link between people with better qualifications and healthier lifestyles. In turn, the benefits of such an adult's healthy lifestyle could be passed on to the children at an earlier stage. In practice, it was found that, for example, one more year of education could increase a person's life expectancy by almost two years. A strong link was also found between teenagers from lower income families who continued education, and a considerable drop in teen burglary crimes in the same areas.

One can almost predict that parents with a higher level of education are more likely to influence positively their child's educational progress. In fact, although the findings did not provide a straightforward link, it was found that on average, three-year-old children of parents with no qualifications are already up to a year behind the same-age children of educated parents.

The researchers warn that more years in education does not automatically translate into good parenting.

"However, some parenting programmes have helped parents of young children to gain confidence and self-esteem. These characteristics are then passed on to their children. The usual suspects - lone parenting and teenage mothers - are less important than often stated. It is the context in which families live that is of overwhelming importance.

"Children's chances of educational success are significantly increased if they have parents who support their learning (this positive effect is seen, irrespective of the parents' social class, education or wealth). Developing parents' skills as the 'first teacher' will therefore do a great deal to reduce inequalities," the researchers recommend.

In practice, what will become of children at a later stage can already be foreseen when the children are still in their primary and secondary school years.

"Our research has revealed that certain tasks for pre-school children - copying exercises and particular kinds of puzzles - accurately predict later academic ability. Unfortunately, young children from less advantaged backgrounds who are good at these tasks often do not fulfil their potential at school. This presents a major challenge for teachers, teacher trainers, and schools."

A few years later in secondary school, a student's personal and family background are said to indicate the attainment levels of the same student as an adult.

Adult education is also seen to positively impact adults and communities. The findings have linked adult education with lower levels of racism, increased civic participation, and healthy living. In practice, for example, the research found a link between adult education and adults giving up smoking and taking up exercising.

Equally important is the negative impact of education in certain cases.

"Although learning has profound and wide-ranging benefits for many people it is also true that individuals can be damaged by education if it is too difficult for them, raises expectations that cannot be met, enables some individuals to advance themselves at the expense of others in their families, puts stress on family life, or conflicts with existing social networks or the demands of work."

This proves how education has wide-ranging effects that "extend well beyond the economy and the labour market."

"While these wider outcomes may also have knock-on economic impacts (for example, through reducing costs of health care or crime), it is important to remember that they enhance the quality of life, not only for individuals, but also for society," the researchers conclude.