How can you improve GCSE results at a stroke, particularly for low ability males from disadvantaged backgrounds? Shift the UEFA European Championships and FIFA World Cup to August, according to recent research by the University of Bristol.
That research found that in years where there was a major football tournament which coincided with the GCSE exam period (every other year, typically) the overall exam performance dropped and this was particularly marked for males from disadvantaged backgrounds – the group most likely to be football fanatics.
The authors argue that in years where there is no tournament, the cost of leisure is lower and therefore more effort is put into revising for the exams. In turn, this raises educational attainment.
So incentives matter. Policy makers ought to give more consideration to lowering the costs to students of leisure time (or raising the benefits of studying) as a means of influencing a variable within students’ control. Effort is easier to change than cognitive ability in the short term.
The research also demonstrates our tendency to myopia: the long-run benefits of an extra couple of hours’ revision are not obvious, whereas the costs of missing a football match appear more tangible. There is a reasonable body of research which suggests that educational attainment and lifetime earnings are correlated. So to the extent being a football fan aged 16 affects exam performance, the consequences may persist throughout for a lifetime, thereby helping to sustain income inequality.
Finally, policy makers are too often focused on within-system levers. This research is a useful reminder of the importance of thinking more broadly. While persuading UEFA and FIFA to shift their multi-billion pound tournaments a few weeks may be unrealistic, it is not inconceivable that exam timetables could be constructed to avoid major sporting events. Not only would this allow 16 year old boys to enjoy the football without exams to interfere, it may also provide them with longer-lasting benefits.
The jury is out on whether improving the attainment of the England football team is quite so easy.