Why to choose a non-recommended school type? Determinants and consequences of the non-acceptance of teacher’s recommendations in Germany.ISER Internal Seminars

In Germany the selection into academic and vocational school tracks takes place at a rather early stage (depending on the federal state after four or six years of schooling). Over and above a child’s competencies and parents’ aspirations, primary school recommendations (Grundschulempfehlungen) play a crucial role in the choice of secondary school track. However, there are differences in the level of acceptance of the recommendations according to parents’ social class. In a first step, the paper provides evidence on the determinants of the non-acceptance of teacher’s recommendations. The main focus, however, is at the educational outcomes in a later phase of the educational career. Are there differences in the educational outcomes of children who have followed the recommended track and others who have chosen a deviant track? To answer this question we compare the two groups with regard to marks, the frequency of grade repetition, cognitive potentials and the type of school attended at age 17 (or in the last year of schooling). The empirical analyses are based on longitudinal data from a representative sample of households in Germany (German Socio-Economic Panel Survey – GSOEP). Valid information on the teacher’s recommendation is available for about 2.000 children who have grown up in a panel household of which half have been observed already at the time of the transition to secondary school. Therefore, the data allow for a prospective analysis of educational careers of these children.

Presented by:

Henning Lohmann (ISER visitor, SOEP)

Date & time:

March 18, 2009 1:00 pm - March 18, 2009 2:00 pm


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