Quick hit: Competent Children, Competent Learners report at 16 years of age

An NZPA report in today's Herald:

...Female 16-year-old school leavers were the unhappiest group surveyed , the report found.

Boys of the same age who left school were much happier.

The boys went to a specific job or training and left school because they were bored, head researcher Cathy Wylie said.

The girls' main reasons for leaving school were because they found it too hard, or they were depressed.

They were less likely to be following other interests, more likely to be hanging out with peers who were into drugs, or thought unsafe sex was okay, Ms Wylie said.

"About two thirds of the female school leavers said they never spent time on an interest or hobby."

That only applied to 14 per cent of the male school leavers, Ms Wylie said.

Click through for the whole article, which also covers other findings of the study, including that a mother's qualification had the largest association with the child's "cognitive and attitudinal competencies".