The impact of attaining the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma on academic performance in bioscience higher education

Yhnell, Emma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-5181, Wood, Heather, Baker, Matthew Douglas, Amici-Dargan, Sheila, Taylor, Christopher Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9146-9167, Randerson, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2744-3122 and Shore, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7115-2050 2016. The impact of attaining the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma on academic performance in bioscience higher education. International Journal of Science Education 38 (1) , pp. 156-169. 10.1080/09500693.2015.1135353

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Abstract

Since the introduction of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma Qualification (WBQ) in 2003, an increasing number of students are applying to higher education institutions (HEIs) with this qualification. The advanced-level WBQ is regarded as equivalent to one General Certificate of Education A-Level (GCE A-Level). This study assesses the impact of attaining the WBQ in addition to three GCE A-Levels on overall university degree performance in comparison to attaining four GCE A-Levels, in three cohorts of undergraduate students (Year 1 = 318, Year 2 = 280, Year 3 = 236) studying Biosciences from 2005 to 2011 at a UK HEI. Binary logistic regression was used to compare the academic attainment of students who had achieved four GCE A-Levels to those who had achieved three GCE A-Levels in addition to the WBQ. Comparisons were also made between students who had achieved three GCE A-Levels and those who had achieved three GCE A-Levels in addition to the WBQ. The results suggest that students who achieved the WBQ qualification in its current form, in addition to three GCE A-Levels, performed less well academically in undergraduate studies than those who achieved four GCE A-Levels. Furthermore, this effect was still present when the balance between coursework and examination was considered, and when students who had achieved the WBQ in addition to three GCE A-Levels were compared to students who had achieved three GCE A-Levels

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Additional Information:	Published online: 29 Jan 2016 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis
ISSN:	0950-0693
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	19 December 2015
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2024 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/86207

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