Margaret Simpson
"I like studying and learning and I love research. As a retired person, it’s something that keeps me active, keeps my brain going.”
When Margaret Simpson graduates on 11 July, it’ll probably feel like Groundhog Day. In crossing the stage, she’ll be collecting the testamur for her fourth degree.
This time around, she’s graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours). All up, she’s spent about ten years at university. And she’s not stopping there: she’s currently doing a Master of History through the University of New England (UNE) – and she plans to do a PhD.
“I like studying and learning and I love research,” Margaret says. “As a retired person, it’s something that keeps me active, keeps my brain going.”
Her Honours thesis aims to address inequality in education – by trying to learn from outlier high-performing high schools.
During her undergraduate studies at UNE, Margaret noticed that small isolated, very rural, state schools in Victoria seem to do exceptionally well in their Year 12 results. So well, that a couple of the schools have been ranked second out of state schools for the whole of Victoria.
“Based on theories of privilege and disadvantage, of the private versus the public, and the urban versus the rural, these schools should be near the bottom of the rankings, but there they are – sitting in the top places,” she says.
“After statistically analysing all Victorian schools to establish my theory, I was determined to understand why.”
Margaret conducted a case study of one small isolated community in Victoria, and focused on the idea of social capital, which the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development defines as “the links, shared values and understandings in society that enable individuals and groups to trust each other and so work together”.
What Margaret found was that in this community, social capital was indeed immensely important.
“Everyone looks after each other,” she explains. “Everyone knows everyone else and how everyone else works. It’s a general working together, not economic or capital where only the rich are the ones who [succeed]. Everyone is encouraged to do their best.”
There’s also a good socio-economic mix at the local schools.
“What that does – and this is in the literature – is it gives inspiration to kids from other socio-economic groups to perform at a higher standard because they see the richer kids doing well and it encourages competition to a degree,” she says.
“They’re spurred on to do better.”
Margaret acknowledges that she’s only just scratched the surface in investigating this matter, which is why she’s keen to continue this research.
She was lucky to finish her thesis at all though – and to be alive. During the process, Margaret suffered a heart attack, followed by heart failure and fluid on the lungs. And while recovering from that, her kidneys began to fail.
She pulled through, and was given a three month extension – receiving First Class Honours upon completion.
Margaret is thankful for the support and guidance of her supervisor, Dr Joanna Sikora, whose speciality in sociology of education was the reason she chose to study at ANU.
Her education journey may yet continue at ANU when she applies here and to the University of Canberra to do her PhD. By then, she’ll be past retirement age.
“I’m really determined to do this,” Margaret says. “I feel my life’s work has just begun.”
