The children of guest workers: comparative analysis of scholastic achievement of pupils of Turkish origin throughout Europe

Abstract

This paper examines the integration of Turkish labour migrant children in four countries across Europe in terms of their educational performance. By looking at the PISA 2003 (Programme for International Student Assessment) data pertaining to mathematics achievement of 15-year-olds, it explores the effects of ethnicity, gender and family background, on the one hand, and institutional factors (such as kindergarten attendance, grading and tracking), on the other, to offer a better understanding of the large immigrant-native gaps in educational performance. As a result, the author argues that institutional factors can have an impact on school-related integration, in addition to the effects associated with individual factors, thus adding another layer of disadvantage on the children of immigrants.

Divergent pathways: the road to higher education for second-generation Turks in Austria

“…International tests showed immigrant students perform below average in key school subjects, such as mathematics, reading and science, the subjects most important for their educational career (OECD 2004(OECD , 2006Pásztor 2008). The results indicated that Turkish pupils often have to repeat one or two school years during compulsory schooling and almost a quarter (23%) do not understand German texts (not even at the basic level) at the age of 15 (Pásztor 2008).…”

Does Preschool Education Help Immigrant Children Reach Their Native Peers’ Academic Levels?: A Case of Turkish Immigrant Children in Sweden

“…The findings of Han and colleagues' (2012) study demonstrated that preschool education experience do positively impact immigrant children's academic skills, nevertheless immigrant children continue to perform lower on most academic tasks than their native peers. Studies reporting the secondary analysis of the Program for International Student Assessment data demonstrated that despite the legal and pedagogical regulations and reforms the academic achievement gap between the native and immigrant children in Europe persists into the upper grades (Jensen & Rasmussen, 2011;Pásztor, 2008;Schnepf, 2008;Taguma, Kim, Brink & Telteman, 2010).…”

Education matters: continuity and change in attitudes to education and social mobility among the offspring of Turkish guest workers in the Netherlands and Austria

“…The educational situation of second-generation Turks in Austria well reflects that of their parents, three quarter of which had no more than compulsory schooling (77%) upon arrival to Austria (Pásztor, 2008). Their children who use the Turkish language at home are likely to be found in the least selective secondary school tracks, while many are channelled to special schools.…”

“…The first four International Studies in Sociology of Education 291 years of schooling do not necessarily allow Turkish pupils to catch up with their peers as they first have to come to terms with learning the German language (Pásztor, 2008). Thus, the selection point at the age of 10 disadvantages immigrant children who are often Early selection is generally associated with greater social\-class inequalities while educational systems delaying the time of selection tend to be more egalitarian (Breen & Jonsson, 2005, Kerkhoff, 1995.…”