Cross-National Differences and Accounting for Social Class Inequalities in Education

Abstract

This article focuses on two questions relating to social class inequalities in education: cross-national differences and the contribution of material, cultural and school factors in accounting for the relationship. These questions are addressed using the EGP measure of occupational class and student performance in reading literacy in 30 countries. The pattern of cross-national differences is more closely associated with indicators of modernization and the organization of the school system, rather than indicators of overall societal inequality and economic development. Both material and cultural factors contribute to the relationship between class background and student achievement with cultural factors marginally more important overall. In countries with highly tracked school systems, schools mediate the relationship in that children from lower class backgrounds are more likely to attend lower performing schools. However, the inverse is not true: school differences in student performance are only partially accounted for by class background and other socioeconomic factors.keywords: class background ✦ class schema ✦ cross-national comparisons ✦ EGP modernization ✦ occupational status ✦ sociology of education ✦ student achievementWhat distinguishes sociology from other social sciences is its interest in the influence of socioeconomic origins on educational, economic and other social outcomes. However, there is great diversity in approach, ranging from the highly theoretical work of Bourdieu (1984) to the path models of Blau and Duncan (1967). Furthermore, there is little consensus on two

Literacy Experiences of Good and Poor Readers

“…Brian lived with his mother and her boyfriend, whom he calls "dad." These findings support the literature claiming that children living in single parent or reconstituted families and in low socio-economic status (hereafter SES) homes are more vulnerable to school failure than their peers from intact families (Kerr and Beaujot, 2002;Marks, 2006) and higher SES homes (Entwisle et al, 2005;Gillies, 2005;Heymann, 2000;Marks, 2005;McDonald et al, 2005;Silver et al, 2005).…”

Effects of Different Types of Educational Tracking on Achievement and Achievement Variance

“…Both sets of authors recommend less differentiated education systems to promote equality of educational opportunity. However, these studies and others like them (see Horn, 2009;Bauer and Riphahn, 2006;and Marks, 2005) focus primarily on the age at which students are tracked and not on the different types of tracking to which they are exposed. My study addresses this gap in the literature by specifically examining the effects of different types of tracking on the relationship between parental background and achievement.…”

“... As Long as Power Relations Exist ... Yes, There are Inequalities…” Social and Educational Inequalities in Greece According to the Views of Female and Male Students of Tertiary Education Institutions

“…It seems that for Europeans social inequalities affect more and more systematically their everyday life and happiness (Alesina et al 2004). However, it is interesting to note that in countries with selective educational systems, the more educated citizens' demand in a stable manner a greater investment in education (Horn, 2009;Marks, 2005). It seems, however, that the way children aged 15 perceive inequalities, is more related to their experiences outside school than to educational inequalities, which they are unable to distinguish (Mostafa, 2009;Green, 2008).…”