Akzeptanz von Grundschulempfehlungen und Auswirkungen auf den weiteren Bildungsverlauf / Acceptance of Secondary School Track Recommendations and Their Effects on Educational Achievement

Abstract

Zusammenfassung: Der Übergang von der Grundschule in die mehrgliedrige Sekundarstufe ist in Deutschland entscheidend für den weiteren Bildungsverlauf, da spätere Wechsel der Schulform zwar mçglich sind, aber nur relativ selten stattfinden. In diesem Papier betrachten wir den Einfluss der Akzeptanz der Schullaufbahnempfehlungen am Ende der Grundschulzeit auf den Bildungsverlauf bis zum Alter von 17 Jahren. Die Datengrundlage bildet das Sozio-oekonomische Panel (SOEP). Unsere Untersuchungsgruppe besteht aus Personen, die zwischen 1984 und 1991 geboren sind. In den Analysen zeigt sich, dass die soziale Strukturiertheit der Akzeptanz von Empfehlungen zum Ende der Grundschulzeit auch später noch nachwirkt. Insbesondere für Kinder von Eltern mit hçherer Bildung zahlt sich die Ablehnung einer niedrigeren Empfehlung aus, wenn man den Besuch des Gymnasiums mit 17 Jahren als Maß für den Schulerfolg betrachtet. Geht man davon aus, dass der Besuch eines Gymnasiums in diesem Alter den späteren Abschluss prädetermi-niert, hat dieses Ergebnis auch einen Einfluss auf den weiteren Bildungsverlauf, da nur das Abitur die Zugangsberechtigung für Hochschulen gewährt. Die Ergebnisse interpretieren wir als Bestätigung der Hypothese, dass die Ablehnung von Grundschulempfehlungen eine besondere Form sekundärer Herkunftseffekte darstellt.Summary: In Germany the transition from primary school to the different tracks of secondary school is decisive for students' later educational careers as subsequent track mobility is rather low. This paper focuses on the role of teachers' recommendations of secondary school tracks at the end of primary school. We use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), and our sample consists of persons born between 1984 and 1991. We show that the acceptance of teachers' recommendations is socially selective and that differences in the acceptance of recommendations according to social origin have a significant impact on later educational outcomes. Assuming that participation in the academic track (Gymnasium) at age 17 is an indicator of educational achievement we find that the rejection of low-track recommendations pays off in particular for children of parents with high educational levels. Assuming that the attendance of the Gymnasium at age 17 predetermines the chance of earning university entry qualifications, this outcome is of crucial importance for post-secondary educational achievement. We interpret our results as support for the hypothesis that the rejection of track recommendations is a particular manifestation of the secondary effects of social origin.

Social stratification in downgrading during secondary school after ambitious track choices

“…The importance of similar factors is also reflected in Tinto's model of dropout in higher education, which discusses goal commitment and institutional commitment as main determinants of dropout decisions (Tinto, 1975). Overall, our results seem to support the claim of Lohmann and Groh-Samberg (2010) that the inflexible tracking system in Germany -which rarely forces children to change tracks -facilitates being successful when making academically ambitious educational decisions.…”

“…Only one German study evaluated whether a high SES compensates for a lack of academic preparedness in secondary school. Lohmann and Groh-Samberg (2010) found that among students without Gymnasium recommendation, those with highly educated parents are more likely to still attend a Gymnasium at the age of 17. However, the interaction between the recommendation and parental education was not statistically significant.…”

Social stratification in downgrading during secondary school after ambitious track choices

“…They found strong evidence for such compensation, which explained a substantial share of the overall social inequality in completion rates. Lohmann & Groh-Samberg (2010) found that in Germany, among children without a recommendation for the highest secondary school track, those with highly educated parents were more likely to still attend the highest track at the age of 17. However, the interaction between the recommendation and parental education was small and not statistically significant.…”

Is the relation between family background and obtaining an Abitur mediated by malleable motivational variables?

“…These higher grades among high-SES students in elementary school resulted in higher rates of enrollment in Gymnasium. Therefore, the transition from elementary to secondary school generates and increases social inequalities in the German educational system (Lohmann and Groh-Samberg 2010). This trend only strengthened after the transition to secondary school.…”