Investigating Educational and Career Outcomes of Multilingual and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students

Who is running this project?

This project is led by PhD student Yu Cui, under the supervision of Professor Holly Joseph and Dr Daisy Powell at the University of Reading, Institute of Education. It is funded by Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) and the South and East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) (ESRC).

What is this project about?

This study draws on the administrative datasets Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) and Growing Up in England (GUiE) to examine how English as an Additional Language (EAL) status and socioeconomic disadvantage influence students’ academic and early career trajectories. By analyzing Free School Meal eligibility (eFSM) and household characteristics such as parental occupation and income, the research traces patterns of progression from Key Stages through to higher education and employment.

The project focuses on multilingual learners from low-income backgrounds, offering insights into how current indicators of disadvantage may fail to capture the full complexity of EAL students’ experiences. The findings aim to support the development of more equitable education policies and targeted support systems for diverse learner populations.