Socioeconomic status (SES) and the benefits of the “continuous assessment and progression system (CAPS)” in lower secondary education in Myanmar
International Journal of Comparative Education and Development
ISSN: 2396-7404
Article publication date: 11 May 2021
Issue publication date: 1 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated the trends of repetition and dropout rates in Myanmar's lower secondary education before and after the introduction of the “Continuous Assessment and Progression System (CAPS)” and probed the dependence of these tendencies on high-, middle- and low- socioeconomic status (SES). The obtained results were then examined to extract effective policy implications for the achievement of universal secondary education as specified in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Design/methodology/approach
Before and after the CAPS introduction at four government secondary schools, grade repetition and dropout rate trends were examined with respect to differences in students' SES. The analysis utilised a sample of 7,272 students from target secondary schools in urban Yangon Region, Myanmar.
Findings
It was found that since the introduction of CAPS, the grade repetition rates had fallen significantly in all SES groups, so was effective regardless of students' SES. The results also demonstrated the influence of unequal CAPS on dropout rates: in the middle-SES group, significant falls to nearly zero post-CAPS implementation. The high-SES group was at ceiling pre- and post-CAPS, so was unaffected. However, in the low-SES group, high dropout rates persisted, indicating that the poor socioeconomic backgrounds of these students significantly reduced the benefits of CAPS.
Originality/value
Rather than using cross-sectional data such as education statistics, this study used longitudinal data based on academic enrollment registries that included information on individual enrollment statuses, which allowed for the relationships between grade repetition, school dropout, education policies and socioeconomic circumstances to be elucidated.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to express her sincere gratitude to the educators in Myanmar involved in this study for precious cooperation. This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) under the Grant 19H00626 and Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up under the Grant 20K22201.
Citation
Yoshida, N. (2021), "Socioeconomic status (SES) and the benefits of the “continuous assessment and progression system (CAPS)” in lower secondary education in Myanmar", International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 335-352. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-11-2020-0084
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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