School track and ethnic classroom composition relate to the mainstream identity of adolescents with immigrant background in Germany, but not their ethnic identity

Although developing a cultural identity is a core task for adolescents from immigrant families and the school is a highly important context in adolescence, to date, few studies have examined whether adolescents with particular cultural identities cluster in certain school contexts. Using data from a representative German sample including 7702 secondary school students of immigrant background from 1643 classrooms, we examined how the attended school track and four aspects of ethnic classroom composition relate to adolescents' cultural identity (i.e., their ethnic identity and mainstream identity). Two‐level structural equation models indicated that students' ethnic identity was not systematically associated with the attended school track and the ethnic composition of the classroom. However, attending the academic school track, a classroom with a low proportion of classmates with immigrant background and frequently using German with classmates related positively to mainstream identity. Ethnic diversity and proportion of co‐ethnics in class did not relate to mainstream identification. Our findings suggest that the ethnic identity of adolescents with an immigrant background in Germany is largely independent from the different socialisation contexts related to school tracks and the ethnic classroom composition. Yet, students' with a strong mainstream identity cluster in certain school contexts.College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (CIDER)Gemeinnützige Hertie‐Stiftung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003493Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Jacobs Foundation http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003986Peer Reviewe

IQB-Bildungstrend 2016

Im Skalenhandbuch werden die Erhebungsinstrumente dokumentiert, die im IQB-Bildungstrend 2016 in den Fächern Deutsch und Mathematik in der Primarstufe eingesetzt wurden. Die Bildungstrend-Studien des IQB sind Teil der Gesamtstrategie der Kultusministerkonferenz zum Bildungsmonitoring. Sie werden regelmäßig durchgeführt, um zu überprüfen, inwieweit die Schülerinnen und Schüler in den einzelnen Ländern in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland die in den länderübergreifend verbindlichen Bildungsstandards formulierten Kompetenzziele erreicht haben. Mit dem IQB-Bildungstrend 2016 war es erstmalig möglich, für das Erreichen der Standards in den Fächern Deutsch und Mathematik in der 4. Jahrgangsstufe Trends zu berichten (Vergleich der Erhebungsjahre 2011 und 2016)

Pygmalion and the gender gap: do teacher expectations contribute to differences in achievement between boys and girls at the beginning of schooling?

This study examined the role of teacher expectations in the emerging gender gaps in reading and mathematics in the first year of schooling. Therefore, we first investigated whether boys and girls differ in their vulnerability to teacher expectancy effects. Second, we analysed whether gender-specific effects of teacher expectations contribute to gender achievement gaps. Our analyses were based on 1,025 first-grade students in Germany. Among the majority of the students, boys and girls did not differ in their vulnerability to teacher expectancy effects. Further analyses examined a subgroup of students who were targets of relatively strong teacher expectation bias and who showed unexpectedly high or low achievement gains. In this specific subgroup, girls’ mathematics achievement was more adversely affected by negatively biased expectations and benefitted less from positive bias than boys’ achievement. Mediation analyses revealed that teacher expectation bias did not substantially contribute to gender gaps in reading or mathematics.Peer Reviewe

Zuwanderungsbezogene Klassenzusammensetzung

In der Dissertation wurden Effekte der zuwanderungsbezogenen Klassenzusammensetzung auf verschiedene Leistungsmaße und psychosoziale Schülermerkmale im Rahmen von drei Zeitschriftenbeiträgen untersucht. In Teilstudie eins wurden Effekte der sozialen und zuwanderungsbezogenen Zusammensetzung auf das Leseverständnis im Verlauf der neunten Klasse und deren Vermittlung durch Merkmale der Unterrichtsqualität analysiert. Der Klassenanteil von Heranwachsenden mit Zuwanderungshintergrund war unter Kontrolle des mittleren sozioökonomischen Status nicht mit der Leseleistung assoziiert. Es zeigten sich Hinweise einer partiellen Vermittlung des Effekts sozialer Zusammensetzung durch das Ausmaß herausfordernden Sprachunterrichts. Teilstudie zwei beschäftigte sich mit Effekten der Zusammensetzung auf die Lernmotivation im Verlauf der neunten Klasse und deren Vermittlung durch das Ausmaß schülerorientierten Unterrichtsklimas. Heranwachsende mit Zuwanderungshintergrund berichteten höhere Motivation, wenn sie Klassen mit einem höheren Anteil von Heranwachsenden mit Zuwanderungshintergrund besuchten. Es zeigten sich keine vermittelten Effekte durch Merkmale des Unterrichtsklimas. In Teilstudie drei wurden der Anteil von Kindern mit Zuwanderungshintergrund und Maße zuwanderungsbezogener Heterogenität in ihrer Assoziation mit Mathematik- und Leseleistung sowie dem Verbundenheitsgefühl mit Peers von Kindern der vierten Klasse verglichen. Es bestanden stärkere negative Effekte des Klassenanteils im Vergleich zu Heterogenitätsmaßen. Bei simultaner Berücksichtigung von Klassenanteil und Heterogenitätsmaßen waren Heterogenitätseffekte größtenteils nicht mehr signifikant. Es zeigten sich jedoch leicht positive Heterogenitätseffekte auf die Mathematikleistung. Es bestanden keine Effektunterschiede zwischen Heterogenitätsmaßen. Die Befunde verweisen auf die Bedeutung der Schulklasse für die akademische Entwicklung sowie für die Erklärung zuwanderungsbezogener Disparitäten im Bildungssystem.The thesis at hand explored effects of the language-related and ethnic makeup of classrooms on several achievement outcomes as well as psychosocial outcomes in three research articles. The first article investigated effects of socioeconomic and language minority classroom composition on ninth graders’ reading achievement across two measurement points and explored the mediating role of instructional quality. The proportion of minority students had no effect on achievement after controlling for the socioeconomic composition. The results suggest that the effect of the socioeconomic composition on achievement may be mediated partially by the teacher’s focus on language during instruction. The second article focused on effects of the proportion of language minority students on the development of ninth graders’ motivation and the mediating role of a student-oriented climate. The analyses revealed that minority students were increasingly motivated in classrooms with a higher proportion of minority students. The compositional effect was not mediated by the instructional climate. The third article explored various measures of the ethnic makeup of classrooms and their relationship with student outcomes. The proportion of minority students and measures of diversity were compared in their prediction of fourth graders’ achievement in math and reading as well as the feeling of belonging with one’s peers. The proportion of minority students showed stronger negative effects on student outcomes than the diversity measures. Including diversity measures and the proportion of minority students, the diversity effects mostly lost their significance. However, students showed slightly higher levels of math achievement in more diverse classrooms. The various measures of diversity led to similar results. The findings add to the evidence indicating that the classroom learning environment affects students’ academic development and contributes to ethnic disparities in the education system

Ethnic composition and heterogeneity in the classroom: Their measurement and relationship with student outcomes

This study explores various measures of the ethnic makeup in a classroom and their relationship with student outcomes. We examine whether measures of ethnic diversity are related to achievement (mathematics, reading) and feeling of belonging with one’s peers over and above commonly investigated composition characteristics. Multilevel analyses were based on data from a representative sample of 18,762 elementary school students in 903 classrooms. The proportion of minority students and diversity measures showed negative associations with student outcomes in separate models. Including diversity measures and the proportion of minority students, diversity of minority students mostly lost its significance. However, the results suggest that diversity measures may provide additional information over and above other classroom characteristics for some student outcomes. The various measures of diversity led to comparable results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved

Do teachers' cultural beliefs matter for students' school adaptation? : A multilevel analysis of students' academic achievement and psychological school adjustment

Based on two large-scale studies from Germany, we examined how different types of teachers’ cultural beliefs are related to immigrant students’ school adaptation. Specifically, we investigated the relationship of teachers' multicultural beliefs appreciating cultural diversity, their egalitarian beliefs focusing on all students' similarities and their assimilationist beliefs that immigrant students should conform to the mainstream context with immigrant students' academic achievement and psychological school adjustment as indicators of their school adaptation. We also explored all of these associations for non-immigrant students. Study 1 used data on the multicultural, egalitarian, and assimilationist beliefs of German language (NTeachers = 220) and mathematics (NTeachers = 245) teachers and on students’ achievement and feelings of helplessness in German language classes (NStudents = 2606) and mathematics classes (NStudents = 2851) as well as students’ school satisfaction. Study 2 analyzed data on teachers’ multicultural and egalitarian beliefs (NTeachers = 456) and students’ achievement and self-concept in mathematics (NStudents = 4722). Overall, multilevel analyses revealed no relationship between teachers’ cultural beliefs and any of the indicators of immigrant and non-immigrant students’ school adaptation. These findings challenge the notion that overall, teachers’ cultural beliefs effectively translate into students’ school adaptation.publishe