scholarly journals Differentiation in secondary education and inequality in educational opportunities: The case of Switzerland

Author(s):  
Marlis Buchmann
2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-30
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Janssen ◽  
Gijs Huitsing ◽  
Ben ter Beek ◽  
Anneke C. Timmermans

Abstract Do students with low-educated parents have similar educational opportunities as students without low-educated parents during the transition to secondary education? Study 1 matched 62 students with low-educated parents to students with the same math score in grade 7. Despite this matching procedure, similar teachers’ advice for secondary education, and scores on the Central Examination, students with low-educated parents started at lower educational levels in secondary education. Study 2 conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 decisionmakers to explain these differences. Teachers and other decisionmakers account for (lack of) support from parents and possible deviant behavior of students for placement in secondary school.


2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-247
Author(s):  
MIAOYAN YANG

In this article, Miaoyan Yang examines the identity struggles of a group of youth from China’s majority ethnic Han group. As children of “in-Tibet cadres,” these Han youth were deemed “privileged” in their educational opportunities as compared with both Han students from interior China and ethnic Tibetan minority students from Tibet whose first language was not Chinese. This was because at young ages they could move to economically developed interior cities for their secondary education through a state-run Interior Tibet Class program. While participation in this program ensured these students’ placement in China’s key universities, the price of the privilege included continual involuntary relocations, long-term separation from their home communities, a sense of insecurity and marginalization, and emotional alienation from their parents. This study engages the theory of the reflexive project of the self by discerning how mobility and politics impact the place-making and life planning of individuals in their identity constructions.


Sociology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moris Triventi ◽  
Jan Skopek ◽  
Nevena Kulic ◽  
Sandra Buchholz ◽  
Hans-Peter Blossfeld

This article discusses key findings from eduLIFE, a cross-national project that examined the emergence of social inequalities in 17 countries characterized by different models of secondary education. First, we build upon existing international studies and propose a broader classification of forms of differentiation in secondary education. Second, we elaborate a fourfold typology of secondary education systems. Third, we provide a longitudinal and comparative analysis of how social background, academic performance, and forms of secondary schooling create heterogeneous educational opportunities for recent generations. In particular, we discuss: (1) the allocation of students to different forms of secondary schooling; (2) student mobility among different types of education; and (3) the consequences of differentiation in secondary schooling for students’ educational careers. Our findings suggest that, on average, more privileged families successfully exploit the opportunities provided by specific institutional configurations of school systems in order to secure the most favourable outcomes for their children.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gudrun Østby ◽  
Henrik Urdal ◽  
Ida Rudolfsen

Despite global efforts to expand educational opportunities for women, gender inequalities persist in many developing countries. Addressing the root causes of gender inequalities in secondary education we ask whether such disparities persist because of low state capacity or low willingness. Based on gender- and age-specific educational attainment data for 57 developing countries in 1970–2010, our analysis indicates that willingness factors are central to understanding gender equality in education: ethnically heterogeneous countries and countries where Islam is the primary religion experience lower levels of equality. However, key capacity factors like a country’s income level are unrelated to gender differences in education.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
John Mugun Boit

<p>This study examined the effectiveness of the Secondary Education Bursary Fund SEBF in<br />enhancing equity in access to secondary school educational opportunities. The discussion is<br />guided by Rawls’ theory of social justice as fairness (1971) upon which the concept of equity is<br />grounded. The study is specifically influenced by the Difference Principle and the Criterion of<br />Reciprocity on the basis of reasonable citizenship as espoused by Rawls. The Secondary<br />Education Bursary Fund (SEBF) was established in 1994 by a presidential decree to help the<br />socio-economically disadvantaged groups to access secondary education. The findings indicate<br />that the bursary beneficiaries transcend all socio-economic boundaries and that the allocation<br />mechanism did not, as was intended, effectively target bursary support to students from poor<br />and vulnerable socio-economic groups. As a result, the fund has had little impact on equity in<br />access to secondary education. There is therefore an urgent need to make necessary structural<br />and management adjustments to the bursary fund to make it more responsive and selective to<br />those in need of financial support. Of significance is adoption of management information<br />systems to enable effective and efficient administration of the fund. The findings will inform<br />management decisions geared towards revitalizing the fund as well as informing policy<br />formulation and review and aid scholarly debate on issues of educational financial subsidies.</p>


Author(s):  
Zafar Iqbal ◽  
Lubna Shoukat ◽  
Waheed Muhammad ◽  
Rajab Muhammad

In this age of globalization and scientific revolution, education has got more focus as a fundamental right of human. In Pakistan, substantial efforts are made, both in government and private sectors of education, to promote education. Resultantly, a huge number of educational institutions have been established. The students are the only elements for whom the whole system of education is established. Both, parents and teachers, should feel the responsibility of providing the students with all the educational opportunities for the development as conscientious citizens. This article is an extension of the work by Iqbal et al., (2020), which focuses on exploring the strategies to improve secondary education.  Iqbal et. al., (2020) used QFD methodology, and found out the Needs and Demands (N&Ds) of students and their parents; and then explored the Technical Solutions (TSs) to address these N&Ds. The results showed that ‘Teaching Behavior’ was highly important TS with weight of 71, and ‘Checked through Technical devices’ with final weight 57 and “Followed Proper time table by teachers” with weight 55 remained at second and third positions respectively. If we consider weight as the priority factor, the N&D with highest weight deserves to be considered first. But, statistically, because of the random variation in the data, two TSs with different weights could be of same importance. The rationale of this article is to test the weights difference of two TSs by using the methodology developed by Iqbal et al. (2014). This will provide guideline to others education experts to test the significance of any two TSs whether they are equally important or not. If the computed difference is insignificance, they may be treated equally.


2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
John A. Tetnowski

Abstract Cluttering is discussed openly in the fluency literature, but few educational opportunities for learning more about cluttering exist in higher education. The purpose of this manuscript is to explain how a seminar in cluttering was developed for a group of communication disorders doctoral students. The major theoretical issues, educational questions, and conclusions are discussed.


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