All Outputs (4)

How much does school matter for children’s cognitive and non-cognitive learning? Findings from a natural experiment in Pakistan and India (2025)
Journal Article
Siddiqui, N., Gorard, S., Bulsari, S., See, B. H., Dixon, P., Saeed, S., Hamza, S., & Pandya, K. (in press). How much does school matter for children’s cognitive and non-cognitive learning? Findings from a natural experiment in Pakistan and India. British Educational Research Journal,

This paper reports on the findings of a natural experiment based on a sample of 1,123 children aged 4 to 8 from the provinces of Punjab in Pakistan, and Gujarat in India. It looks at the impact of attendance (or not) in early schooling on the cogniti... Read More about How much does school matter for children’s cognitive and non-cognitive learning? Findings from a natural experiment in Pakistan and India.

What matters in early childhood education? A natural experiment assessing children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning? (2024)
Book Chapter
Siddiqui, N., Gorard, S., Dixon, P., See, B., Bulsari, S., Saeed, S., …Pandya, K. (2024). What matters in early childhood education? A natural experiment assessing children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning?. In S. Gorard, & N. Siddiqui (Eds.), An International Approach to Developing Early Career Researchers: A Pipeline to Robust Education Research. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003455066-4

This study addresses the impact of early childhood education in Pakistan and India. This is a natural experiment design where children of comparable age and household socioeconomic characteristics are in both groups of attending school and not attend... Read More about What matters in early childhood education? A natural experiment assessing children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning?.

A Comparative Study Data on Early-Years Education of Children in India and Pakistan, 2020-2021 (2023)
Data
Siddiqui, N., Huo, G., Gorard, S., Dixon, P., See, B., Bulsari, S., & Pandya, K. (2023). A Comparative Study Data on Early-Years Education of Children in India and Pakistan, 2020-2021. [Dataset]

School enrolment of around 80% in India and Pakistan is lower than targets associated with Sustainable Development Goal 4 and functional levels of literacy and numeracy are inadequate even for many young children who are enrolled in school. This proj... Read More about A Comparative Study Data on Early-Years Education of Children in India and Pakistan, 2020-2021.

Does school matter for early childhood education? Assessing cognitive and wider development of children in the Province of Punjab, Pakistan and State of Gujarat, India (2022)
Report
Siddiqui, N., Stephen, G., Smruti, B., Saba, S., Hamza, S., Beng Huat, S., …Kiran, P. (2022). Does school matter for early childhood education? Assessing cognitive and wider development of children in the Province of Punjab, Pakistan and State of Gujarat, India. British Academy

School is a long-term intervention in children’s lives. Children spend many hours in school where the expectation is that the activities will boost their natural growth and academic potential in the most receptive years of development. However, learn... Read More about Does school matter for early childhood education? Assessing cognitive and wider development of children in the Province of Punjab, Pakistan and State of Gujarat, India.