Dan: Hello, I'm Dan.
Alice: And I'm Alice.
Dan: And this is 6 Minute English! Today we're talking about a new report that
examines how poverty can affect education.
Alice: The report, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development – or OECD – studies whether there is an inevitable link between
wealth and academic performance.
Dan: You'd think that children from poorer backgrounds perform less well at school
than children from richer backgrounds, right Alice?
Alice: Well, that makes sense – if you're from a disadvantaged background then 'the
odds are stacked against you' – you're less likely to succeed because the
situation is unfavourable.
Dan: But the OECD report says that in certain countries children from poorer
backgrounds are more likely to achieve good grades and do well academically
despite having the odds stacked against them.
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Alice: So it's easier for poorer school students – or pupils – to achieve high grades in
some countries rather than others then, Dan?
Dan: Exactly. They achieve against the odds. For example, poorer children in
Canada and Japan are more likely to achieve good grades than poor children in
the UK. There's a more level playing field in those countries than in Britain.
Alice: That's a good phrase – a level playing field – it comes from sport; if you're
playing on a level playing field, it's a fair situation for everybody. So where are
poorer pupils most likely to do well then, Dan?
Dan: Ah, well that's this week's question actually, Alice. Which country do you think
came top in the OECD list for pupils doing well, even when the odds are
stacked against them? Was it:
a) Finland
b) Canada
c) South Korea
Alice: And I'll guess…Finland?
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Dan: Well, we'll see if you're right at the end of the programme. Now let's hear from
Professor Yvonne Kelly from the University of Essex. She specialises in how
economic factors can influence childhood development. Here she is talking
about her research in the UK. What factors does she say could be affected by
different levels of family income?
Professor Yvonne Kelly, University of Essex
We compared levels of family income with the likelihood of children having social and
emotional difficulties, and also their cognitive ability skills.
Dan: So the research compared levels of family income – that's how much money a
family earns – with the likelihood of children having social and emotional
difficulties.
Alice: Social here refers to how people live and work together; and emotional refers
to how the children react to their feelings. So the income of a family could
affect whether the children have social and emotional difficulties.
Dan: And the research also looked at children’s cognitive ability skills – that's the
way children learn. Cognitive is a scientific term that refers to how we process
information.
Alice: And what were the findings of this research then, Dan?
Dan: Well Professor Kelly says that children from low-income families were more
likely to show symptoms of social and emotional difficulties. She says they
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can be more fidgety, restless and clingy. Could you explain some of these
terms for us, Alice?
Alice: Sure. Well, to fidget means to make small, quick movements in a nervous way,
so fidgety means moving nervously. Being restless means you're unable to
relax, and clingy, well here it means that the child doesn't want to be separated
from their parents.
Dan: OK, let's listen to Professor Kelly again. How many times more likely were
children from poorer backgrounds to suffer from social and emotional
difficulties?
Professor Yvonne Kelly, University of Essex
Children from the poorest households were between seven and eight times more likely to
have social and emotional difficulties – things like being excessively fidgety, restless,
clingy – compared to their better-off counterparts.
Dan: So children from poorer backgrounds were seven or eight times more likely to
be fidgety, restless and clingy than their better-off counterparts.
Alice: Better-off here means richer; and a counterpart is a person who's at the same
level, or who does the same job. So the better-off counterparts here are
children of the same age who are from richer backgrounds.
But Dan, did you say that some countries have less of a divide between the
grades of richer pupils and poorer pupils than other countries?
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Dan: That's right, although there's a strong link between family income and how
well pupils perform at school, the report says that the education systems in
some countries are more likely to help students from poorer backgrounds
develop self-confidence and motivation to succeed.
Alice: OK, so don't keep me waiting, Dan – which countries are they?
Dan: Well, I can tell you that South Korea, Finland, Japan, Turkey and Canada are
the most successful countries in terms of poorer pupils achieving high results.
But today's question was which country came top in the OECD list for poorer
students getting higher grades? Was it:
a) Finland
b) Canada
c) South Korea
Alice: And I said Finland.
Dan: Well, in fact it was South Korea. In fact, the top five places by regional and
national school systems are all in Asia: South Korea leads the countries, and
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore are also in the top five. France,
Australia and the US are around average for pupils succeeding against the odds,
and the UK is - unfortunately - well below average. Well Alice, before we go,
let's hear some of the words and phrases we've used in today's programme:
Alice: OK.
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the odds are stacked against you
pupils
a level playing field
income
social and emotional
cognitive
fidgety
restless
clingy
better-off
counterpart
Dan: Thanks, Alice. I hope you've enjoyed today's programme and you'll join us
again for more 6 Minute English next time.
Both: Bye.
