Educational background
In the questionnaire parents were asked to state what kind of education or training they had received and at what level.
On the basis of this information it was possible to categorise the responses in five broad educational background categories.
In this research and analyses, parents’ educational backgrounds are generally registered assuming that there are differences between the basic school education and further education level of different groups of workers/professions. There are often great differences between the mother’s and the father’s education.
Education generally has an effect on the type of job opportunities open to an individual, his/her interests and extent of his/her insight into and understanding of certain existential and social questions.
Education is also a contributory factor in the formation of individual style and personality structures.
Further education: long courses - including further education within humanities, social studies, biology, technical studies and sciences.
Social/health/education - including training in the educational, social and health sectors.
Commerce/administration/service - includes training within both public and private sectors.
Skilled/technical - also includes agricultural, market gardening, forestry, fishery and maritime trades.
None/other - includes many and varied things but the majority within this group were people with no form of formal training or education.
The distribution of education between parents follows the traditional pattern we would expect.
Fathers are more likely to have a background in further or skilled/technical education than mothers. Mothers represent the lion’s share within social/health/education and in commerce/administration/services.