High school never ends. Normative and comparative peer group effects on higher education outcomes through the school-level students’ expectation culture

Abstract

Recent research has increasingly been studying the long-lasting effects of secondary education structures and processes on higher education (HE) outcomes. While the influence of socioeconomic composition on higher education enrolment is established, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We posit that the composition effect partially runs through the educational expectations of the students' peers at school. By considering shared post-secondary expectations among students within a schoolor, peer expectation culturewe transcend the dominant individual approach to expectations. Additionally, we go beyond the supposed positive (i.e., normative) effects of peers on HE enrolment, by considering the negative effects of having ambitious peers on HE enrolment resulting from comparative group processes.Logistic multilevel analyses of longitudinal data (2013-2019) from 1250 students across 30 Flemish high schools showed that SES composition effects on HE outcomes were mediated by expectation culture. Students attending schools with high expectation cultures were more likely to attend HE in general, and to attend university over other HE institutes compared to students in schools with low expectation cultures. The results suggest normative effects of peers on both outcomes, while comparative processes were only found for the choice of institution. This study underscores the long-term consequences of both individual and school-level expectations in secondary education and calls for including comparative reference group effects in studies on educational decision-making.

Do Same-Gender Peers in the Classroom Have Heterogeneous Impacts on Male and Female Students?

“…This finding is consistent across different student outcomes, different age groups, and countries operating very different education systems. The results partly support the sparse research on intragender friendships, which shows that particularly girls are prone to the influence of same-gender peers in STEM subjects (Raabe et al 2019;Riegle-Crumb et al 2006) and that boys are susceptible to peer influence in education more generally (Van den Broeck et al forthcoming;Van Houtte 2004). However, we expand on these studies by considering the association between several gender-specific peer traits and both academic achievement and self-concept.…”

“…Specifically, our results indicate that students conform in terms of achievement, but that social contrast or comparison hinders internalization of the gains in achievement. For decisions regarding tertiary education, normative processes have been found to increase the likelihood of enrolling in higher education, while comparative processes may influence more specific decisions, such as choice of institution (Van den Broeck et al forthcoming). Thus, our findings can potentially help explain why students may endogenously select into further education tracks that are not optimal in terms of their ability.…”

A search for the determinants of students’ educational expectations for higher education in four European cities: The role of school SES composition and student engagement

“…Specifically, schools could establish a "college-going culture," which means that all students, regardless of social background, have the resources, preparation, and support they need for higher education (Schneider, 2007). Offering guidance and information should also start early enough, as tenth grade expectations influence students' eventual enrollment in higher education (Van den Broeck et al, 2021) and the stability of expectations predicts school achievement (Bozick et al, 2010).…”

“…Focusing on student engagement can serve as a possible way to counter social inequality, especially because policy measures targeting on raising expectations have no, and even adverse, effects (St. Clair et al 2013). Raising expectations is not sufficient to raise participation rates in higher education, as is demonstrated by a Flemish longitudinal study on how many vocational track students have high expectations in tenth grade but none of them eventually attended higher education 5 years later (Van den Broeck et al, 2021). If high expectations are unrealistic, they may adversely affect labor market outcomes (Schneider and Stevenson, 1999).…”