Key challenges for the sociology of education: theoretical, methodological, and empirical issues

Experiments in the Sociology of Education – Promises and Experiences

“…Compared to field experiments, only few laboratory experiments have been conducted in the area of educational research. One of the reasons for this might be that the external validity of such lab experiments, conducted in highly artificial contexts, is unclear (Jackson and Cox 2013;Pietrzyk and Erdmann 2020), while educational researchers are interested in findings that are generalizable (Becker 2019). A prototype of this issue is the laboratory experiment on stereotype threat (Steele 1997).…”

“…Sociologists are used to finding transformational mechanisms by taking institutional settings, structural arrangements, or organizational features into account (see also : Esser 1999). In regard to mainstream topics in the sociology of education, the number of vacancies in the educational systems, the institutionalization of tracking, the degree of stratification of the educational systems, or the definition of entitlements for accessing education at the various levels are considered as structural constraints shaping individuals' choices (Becker 2019). This final remark is intended to stimulate critical rethinking of current theories in analytical-empirical sociology (of education) and to shape the design of studies regarding the generation of reliable knowledge about causal relationships in sociology in general, and in the sociology of education in particular.…”

“…Experimental methods are currently attracting a great deal of attention in some areas of analytical-empirical sociology, such as the sociology of education (Becker 2019). Nonetheless, the use of experimental approaches has not excelled as much in sociology as in other disciplines, such as economics or political sciences (Jackson and Cox 2013;Barone and Solga 2020 ).…”

“…For analysing the aforementioned research problems, sociologists can draw on an increasing number of methodological tools (Zangger and 1 In line with this development, David Card, Joshua Angrist, and Guido Imbens -three prominent advocates of methods based on the experimental ideal -received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2021. Becker 2019). However, when it comes to assessing causal effects, one approach has proved to be especially robust to the fallacies of (quantitative) empirical research: the experiment (Angrist and Pischke 2009;Murnane and Willett 2011;Jackson and Cox 2013).…”

'Explaining educational differentials' revisited: an evaluation of rigorous theoretical foundations and empirical findings

“…Since the contribution by Breen & Goldthorpe (1997) -and in addition to other seminal theoretical contributions by Boudon (1974), Erikson & Jonsson (1996) and Esser (1999) -sociological research on IEO in an era of educational expansion has intensified (Becker, R. 2019;Erikson 2019). Indeed, the BG model has significantly stimulated research on IEO (Stocké 2019;Kroneberg & Kalter 2012;Breen & Jonsson 2005).…”