Schools as differential environments for students’ development: How tracking and school composition affect students’ transition after the end of compulsory education

Tracking leads to differential developmental environments resulting in educational inequalities. We investigated whether tracking and school composition affect students’ transition to post-compulsory education. Based on two Swiss school-leavers’ cohorts from 2000 and 2016, multilevel analyses showed that the social and achievement-related school composition and track affiliation predicted successful transitions beyond student characteristics. Compositional effects were in part differentially predictive depending on students’ track affiliation

Wirkt sich Leistungsheterogenität in Schulklassen auf den individuellen Lernerfolg in der Sekundarstufe aus?

Der Frage nach dem schulischen Umgang mit unterschiedlichen Leistungsvoraussetzungen wird nicht erst in den letzten Jahren verstärkte Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. In der Diskussion geht es dabei auch darum, ob Schülerinnen und Schüler in leistungshomogenen oder -heterogenen Lerngruppen günstigere Voraussetzungen für ihre Lern- und Leistungsentwicklung vorfinden. Anhand der Hamburger Schulleistungsstudie KESS (Kompetenzen und Einstellungen von Schülerinnen und Schülern) kann der Zusammenhang zwischen der Leistungsstreuung in Schulklassen (N = 514) und den Lernerfolgen von Schülerinnen und Schülern (N = 10 036) in der 6. Jahrgangsstufe geprüft werden. Im Leseverständnis ist an den Haupt- und Realschulen und den Gymnasien die mittlere Streuung auf der Klassenebene deutlich geringer als an den Gesamtschulen. In der Kompetenzdomäne Mathematik ist das Gymnasium die leistungsheterogenste Schulform zu Beginn der Sekundarschulzeit. Mehrebenenanalysen ergeben, dass sich Leistungsheterogenität innerhalb von Lerngruppen nicht - d. h. weder positiv noch negativ - auf den Lernerfolg von Schülerinnen und Schülern auswirkt. (DIPF/Orig.)How to best accommodate the variety of preconditions that students bring to their learning is a frequently asked question. The study documented in this article sought to further illuminate answers to this question by focusing on whether the conditions for learning and for students\u27 achievement are better and higher in homogeneous or heterogeneous ability groups. Data from the longitudinal study KESS (Competencies and Attitudes of Students) were used to analyze the relationship between heterogeneity at class level (N = 514) and student achievement (N = 10036). Tracked classes were found to be more homogeneous than classes in comprehensive schools in terms of reading achievement. In relation to mathematics achievement, however, the highest track (Gymnasium) included the most heterogeneous classes. Multilevel analyses showed that achievement heterogeneity in classes had neither positive nor negative effects on individual learning. (DIPF/Orig.

Development of Students’ Sustainability Competencies: Do Teachers Make a Difference?

Sustainability competence is an important goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in school. It is therefore anchored in the education plans of almost all school tracks in Germany. However, empirical findings regarding ESD in schools are scarce. The present study thus examined how sustainability competencies of secondary-school students develop within the course of a school year. Based on a proposed framework model of sustainability competencies, we assessed (a) students’ sustainability-related knowledge, (b) their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability, as well as (c) their self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions. Our sample comprised n = 1318 students in 79 classrooms at different secondary school tracks (Grades 5–8) in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany). Measurements were taken at the beginning and at the end of the school year after the introduction of ESD as a guiding perspective for the new education plan. We observed an increase in students’ sustainability-related knowledge but a decline in their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability over the course of one school year. Multilevel analyses showed that, at the individual level, prior learning requirements as well as ESD-related characteristics (students’ activities and general knowledge of sustainability) proved to be the strongest predictors of their development. In addition, grade- and track-specific differences were observed. At the classroom level, teachers’ attitudes towards ESD as well as their professional knowledge were found to be significant predictors of students’ development. The higher the commonly shared value of ESD at school and the higher teachers’ self-efficacy towards ESD, the higher was the students’ development of sustainability-related knowledge and self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions, respectively. The significance of the findings for ESD in schools is discussed

Schools as Differential Environments for Students’ Development: How Tracking and School Composition Affect Students’ Transition After the End of Compulsory Education

Tracking leads to differential developmental environments resulting in educational inequalities. We investigated whether tracking and school composition affect students’ transition to post-compulsory education. Based on data of two Swiss school-leavers’ cohorts (2000/2016), multilevel analyses show that the social and achievement-related school composition and track affiliation predict transitions beyond students’ individual characteristics. Compositional effects were in part differentially predictive depending on students’ track affiliation

How immigrant optimism shapes educational transitions over the educational life course–Empirical evidence from Germany

Compared to natives, young adults with an immigrant background are more likely to choose academic education over vocational education and training (VET). Our study investigates ethnic choice effects at different stages of the educational system. Based on longitudinal data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we found that immigrant youths–when controlling for achievement and social background–were more likely to attend academic tracks in Grade 9, have higher participation rates in academic tracks at the upper-secondary level, are less likely to choose VET after lower-secondary education as well as after upper-secondary education, and switch more often to higher education after achieving an upper-secondary degree. Mediation analyses confirmed that these effects were largely shaped by differences in educational and occupational aspirations. Our study provides detailed insights into the transition pathways at different educational stages and the relevant mechanisms driving migration-specific choice effects. As ethnic choice effects are empirically well documented in international research, our investigation may contribute to a deeper understanding of educational inequalities in other European countries

Ethnic choice effects at the transition into upper-secondary education in Switzerland

Compared to natives, students with immigrant background are – other things being equal – more likely to choose academic tracks over vocational education and training (VET) at uppersecondary level. Evidence of so-called ethnic choice effects is mostly based on education systems where vocational tracks are often regarded as ‘unfavourable’. Our study investigated ethnic choice effects at the end of compulsory school in Switzerland, a country with a strong VET sector offering competitive incentives, particularly for students with lower or average achievement. Based on longitudinal data from the ‘Transitions from Education to Employment’ (TREE) survey, we found that most migrant groups were more likely to choose academic-track pathways preparing for university admission over VET preparing more directly for employment. Nested logistic regression analyses revealed that a large share of these ethnic choice effects was explained by immigrant optimism. Our findings shed light on general educational decision-making processes among migrant families and their potential consequences for ethnic inequality in post-compulsory education