Attitudes and expectations: do attitudes towards education mediate the relationship between social networks and parental expectations?

Previous international research has shown that educational goals are fundamental for explaining differences in the educational attainment between individuals. For a better understanding of educational inequality, it is therefore crucial to know more about the mechanisms leading to different expectations. Our paper contributes to this field of research by empirically testing how social networks affect educational expectations of mothers for their children. Furthermore, we try to disentangle the underlying mechanisms by investigating which role resources and attitudes within social networks play in influencing educational expectations. We use quantitative data gathered in three federal states in Germany. The key results indicate that network composition not only has an effect on educational expectations but also on general attitudes towards education. Both attitudes towards education and embedded resources seem to mediate the effect of social ties on educational expectations.     

Counteracting Victimization in Unequal Educational Contexts: Latin American Migrants’ Friendship Dynamics in Chilean Schools

This article addresses the role of friendship dynamics among newcomer Latin American migrant youth during their transitions to Chilean secondary schools. Drawing on qualitative life history interviews, we discuss ethnic minority well-being in two high-ethnic mix schools, and how power inequalities and racial discrimination are managed through social capital in the courtyard. In particular, we demonstrate the importance of ethnic diversity for counteracting victimization. We found few instances of internal segregation (homogenous or bonding forms of friendship groups); instead cross-ethnic friendships were more common, enabling participants to navigate gendered and class-based cleavages within the schools. Although concentrations of ethnic students in low-quality municipal schools represent deeper social justice issues, the research argues for the need to move beyond dichotomized notions of integration and segregation. Creating greater equity in these spaces, we suggest, does not depend on ethnic mix, but on the opportunities to develop social capital support.     

社会资本与文化资本视野下的现代学校制度变革

社会阶层与教育获得之间存在着密切的联系。由于社会分层、社会流动以及家庭结构的变迁,导致人们之间社会资本与文化资本的差别日益扩大,从而使教育不平等问题愈加凸显。在某种程度上,一个好的学校制度能够降低出身的不平等或者降低家庭背景的重要性,因此,当今学校制度改革的一个重要方面就是弥补人们之间社会资本与文化资本方面的差异,即通过建立“公平教室”、创建“功能共同体”、改革考试制度等,以促进教育平等。     

Working at a different level? Curriculum differentiation in Irish lower secondary education

Abstract

Young people in Irish schools are required to choose whether to sit secondary exam subjects at higher or ordinary level. This paper draws on a mixed methods longitudinal study of students in 12 case-study schools to trace the factors influencing take-up of higher level subjects within lower secondary education. School organisation and process are found to shape the extent to which young people actually have a ‘choice’. Streaming practices, which are more prevalent in schools serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities, constrain the degree of choice young people have over their subject levels, with those in lower stream classes usually allocated to ordinary level. Even where schools have mixed ability base classes, schools influence access to higher level subjects. In the middle-class and socially mixed schools, teachers are more likely to expect and encourage all students to take higher level. In contrast, in working-class schools there are sharp declines in the proportion taking higher level subjects as they approach the national exam taken at the end of lower secondary education. Early decisions about not pursuing higher level are found to have long-term consequences. The findings contribute to our understanding of how curriculum differentiation reinforces social class differences in educational pathways.     

Inequality of educational opportunities: School failure trends in Spain (1977–2012)

School failure is substantive in Spain. The percentage of students that do not achieve the compulsory education diploma is around 20%. School failure is higher for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Students who ‘fail’ cannot continue to post-compulsory education and, sooner or later, they have to leave formal education. The evolution of school failure in Spain follows a U-shaped curve that decreases from the seventies and rises from the end of the past century. This article explores the evolution of the impact of students’ socio-economic backgrounds on school failure from the seventies onwards and tests whether this impact increased at the end of last century. Using logit models of estimation to control for socio-demographic factors, we demonstrate that students from higher socio-economic backgrounds show fewer fluctuations in school failure than students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We also provide evidence in support of an increase in the impact of socio-economic background on school failure from the end of the past century, thereby increasing differences by social origin of students. Our paper is consistent with previous literature showing that the impact of socio-economic background on school failure from the seventies onwards is declining. Nevertheless, we show an increase in this impact from the late nineties not described before. We offer a possible explanation for this upward trend in the shape of change in the institutional structure of the education system, although labour market incentives may also have played a role.     

教育期望、社会资本与贫困地区教育发展

本研究的目的在于考察家庭、学校的社会文化资本对儿童教育参与程度以及学业成绩的影响。通过研究发现,儿童的教育期望、学业自信、学业努力和学校情感问题时他们学业成绩的提高有积极的作用．这种影响并不亚于我们以往所研究的家庭社会、经济特征对儿童学业成就的影响;家庭、学校的社会和文化资本因素以及学校课堂环境时儿童的教育期望、学业自信、学业努力程度的提高和学校情感问题的解决都起着重要的作用。因此,在分析影响学业成绩的因素时,不能单纯考虑儿童的家庭经济和人力资本特征。还要考虑与家庭、学校相关的一些社会文化资本因素。我们可以通过社会、文化资本以及学校环境的改善来提高贫困地区儿童的学业成就。从而达到发展贫困地区教育的目的。     

Social capital as the catalyst for school participation

This article investigates the association between social capital and education in Jhabua, a tribal dominated district of central India. The case study analysis showed a disconnection between social capital and education in the majority of the villages. However, two of the fourteen villages showed that empowerment of the civil society made formal social organizations like PTAs effective, and also that informal networks play a key role in accountability. This article presents the case that although institutional structures are in place to promote the role of social capital in education, social capital effectiveness depends on a community-based catalyst.     

城乡教育不平等对收入分配影响的实证分析——以湖南省为例

利用湖南省的数据(2005～2008)进行的实证研究表明教育不平等对城乡收入差距作用显著,当前湖南城乡的教育不平等是其城乡收入分化的一个重要原因,因此如果城乡教育不平等现象得不到改变的话,将会进一步加大城乡收入差距.     

学校变革的一般理论及其反思——社会资本的视角

学校变革的一般理论主要包括结构主义的观点、冲突主义的观点、技术的观点、文化的观点以及市场的观点。结构主义的观点更多地把学校看作是一个保守性的组织;冲突主义观点相对地漠视学校日常生活的现实;技术的观点趋向于用“技术的方法”来改造学校;文化的观点主张把学校塑造成一个“价值共同体”;市场的观点重视选择但拉大了学校之间的差距。通过对这些理论或模式细致的总结和反思,指出其中一些理论或模式在新的历史条件下存在的种种不足。随着社会资本理论的提出,在一定程度上对上述理论进行了修正或补充,从而为当今的学校变革提供了一种新的改革理念。     

现代学校制度变革：正式制度与制度社会资本的有效配合

科层化、官僚化的教育体制已使学校变成一个毫无生气的组织,一个不能激发人的主动性和创造性的组织。现代学校制度的危机就在于制度社会资本的下降。因此,当今改革的一条重要途径是让学校成为“自组织”治理体系,让其中的制度社会资本即非正式制度“复活”或“再生”,即充分发挥习俗、规范、学校化、学校氛围、隐蔽课程的作用,因为它们往往比正式制度具有更好的潜在约束作用,更能节约交易费用,从而更有利于学校发展。但是,良好的制度设计应该是正式制度与非正式制度达到有效配合。     

学校社会资本和环境适应

学校为适应环境,必须及时准确地获取环境变动的信息以及应对变动所需的资源.学校社会资本的利用,有助于学校提高觉察和应对环境变动的灵敏度.学校成员个体社会资本能帮助学校获得环境变动的信号和应对资源.通过中间群体层次充分开发个人社会资本,尽量使其转化为学校的社会资本,是学校适应环境的主要途径之一.