Quality and Inequality of Education : Cross-National Perspectives

"This cogent analysis of data on education and society from a variety of sources sets out to provide answers to scientific and policy questions on the quality of education and the way it relates to various forms of inequality in modern societies, particularly in Europe. The authors examine not only the well known cross-national PISA datasets, but also the European Social Survey and TIMSS, going further than many researchers by folding into their analyses economic, legal and historical factors. Most research up to now using the PISA data is restricted to educational research. Interesting as that educational question is, the chapters here use the PISA, and other data, to explore more profoundly the relationship between education and the various forms of inequality in European and other modern societies. The work comes from two different perspectives: one that looks at how the different characteristics of societies, their economies, and their educational systems influence the average educational achievements of specific groups of pupils, such as immigrants, in those societies; and a second, which explores how, and in what degree, the characteristics of schools, educational systems and labour-markets either hardens or softens differences in the educational outcomes of various groups of pupils. With a special feature of the book being its emphasis on comparing Asian and European countries, and with the content free of the political constraints that can often attend studies of these datasets, this book will be an vital resource for educationalists and policy-makers alike."--Library of Congress Contents 6 Contributors 8 The Gordian Knit Between Quality and Inequality of Education: A Cross-National Attempt to Unraveling 10 Introduction 10 History 10 PISA 11 European Social Survey 12 Topics of the Book 12 Two Perspectives on Relation Between Education and Society 13 Problems with the Analyses of Educational Systems 14 Educational Systems Provide Macro-Contexts for the Teaching and Learning, but They Do Not Determine the Outcomes 15 Objectives of Educational Systems Relate Both to Outcomes Internal to Education and to Outcomes External to Education 16 The Average Level of Outcomes Versus the Strength of Effects of Pupil Characteristics 16 Outcomes of Education as Result of Characteristics of Educational Systems Versus as Results of Societal Characteristics 17 School and Class Characteristics as Expressions of Educational Systems 17 The Geographical or Historical Range of Comparable Educational Systems 17 Specific Outcomes of Educational Systems for Specific Subpopulations 18 References 18 Part I Institutional Arrangements and Educational Outcomes 20 The Influence of Educational Segregation on Educational Achievement 21 Introduction 21 Research Objective, Conceptual Background and Policy Relevance 23 Research Hypotheses About the Effect of Segregation 25 Research Design: Data, Measures, and Statistical Models 26 Data 27 Variables 27 Models 29 Results 30 Testing Hypothesis 1 31 Testing Hypothesis 2 37 Testing Hypothesis 3 38 The Role of the Control Variables 39 Explanatory Power of the Models 43 Discussion 43 References 46 Institutional Tracking and Achievement Growth: Exploring Difference-in-Differences Approach to PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA Data 49 Introduction 49 Methodology and Previous Research 50 Data 55 Checking Robustness of the Country-Level Difference-in-Differences Approach 57 Student-Level Difference-in-Differences Approach 74 Summary and Conclusions 80 References 89 Educational Expansion and Social Class Returns to Tertiary Qualifications in Post-communist Countries 90 Introduction 90 Previous Research 91 Educational Expansion 91 Transparency of Qualifications 92 The Post-communist Context 94 Data and Analytical Strategy 97 Results 99 Levels of Qualification and Social Class 99 Field of Study at Tertiary Level and Social Class 107 Discussion 112 References 115 Part II Migration and Educational Inequality 118 Educational Gaps Between Immigrant and Native Students in Europe: The Role of Grade 119 Background 119 Research Questions 120 Grade Retention 122 Data and Measures 123 Data 123 Dependent Variable 124 Immigrant Status 125 Socioeconomic Background 125 Grade, Language Spoken at Home, and Other Individual Characteristics 126 Country-Level Variable: Degree of Grade Retention 127 Analytic Strategy 127 OLS Regression with Country Dummy Variables 127 Two-Level Hierarchical Linear Models 128 OLS Regression for Each Country, Separately 128 Results 129 Percentages of Immigrant Children 129 Immigrant--Native Difference in Student Characteristics 130 Results of OLS Regression with Country Dummy Variables 134 HLM Results 137 The Effect of Grade Within Country 138 Conclusion 138 References 141 How Do School Regimes Tackle Ethnic Segregation: Some Insights Supported in PISA 2006 143 Introduction: The Salience of the School Composition Effect 143 Theoretical Background: School Regimes and Education Equity 144 Institutional/Curricular Differentiation 144 The Logics of Quasi-Market School Developments 145 The Multi-Dimensional Nature of Quasi-Markets in Education 145 Parental Choice, School Choice and School Segregation 147 Public Regulation of School Access 149 Research Questions 151 Methodology 151 Data and Sample 151 Variables, Measures and Statistical Procedures 152 Results 154 School Regimes and School Ethnic Segregation: An Overview 155 School Regimes and School Ethnic Segregation: Correlations 156 School Regimes and School Ethnic Segregation: Regression Models 160 Conclusions and Discussion 161 Effects of Institutional/Curricular Differentiation 161 Effects of Public/Private Management 162 Effects of Parental Choice (Parents Choosing Schools) 163 Effects of School Choice (Schools ''Selecting'' Students) 163 Appendix 164 Box 1 General models of parental choice (among public secondary schools) 164 References 166 The Educational Attainment of Second Generation Immigrants from Different Countries of Origin in the EU Member-States 169 Introduction 169 Data and Measures 172 Dependent Variables 180 Independent Variables: Individual Characteristics 180 Independent Variables: Macro-characteristics of Destination 184 Independent Variables: Macro-characteristics of Origin 186 Individual Characteristics and Educational Attainment of Immigrants and Natives 187 Comparing the Educational Levels of Male Immigrants and Natives 190 Comparing the Educational Level of Female Immigrants and Natives 191 The Effects of Social Policies on Immigrants Educational Achievement 192 Multilevel Analysis of the Highest Level of Education of Male Immigrants 194 Multilevel Analysis of the Highest Level of Education of Female Immigrants 200 Discussion and Conclusion 204 Individual Effects 205 Religion 206 Macro-effects 207 Appendix 207 References 208 Talking the Same Language: How Does Education in the Mother Tongue Affect the Pupils Scholastic Achievement in the Parallel School Systems? 211 Introduction 211 Theoretical Framework 212 Breton's Theory of Institutional Completeness 212 Data, Methods and Research Question 214 Mapping the Educational Terrain 215 Finland 215 Slovakia 219 Italy: Bolzano 223 Across the Three Contexts 226 Discussion 229 Appendix 229 References 230 Part III Education in Europe and Asia: Analogies and Differences 232 The Intergenerational Transmission of Income and Education: A Comparison of Japan and France 233 Introduction 233 Theoretical Model 235 Econometric Model 238 Two Samples Instrumental Variables Estimation 238 Life-Cycle Biases 240 Data 241 Japan: The SSM Surveys 241 France: The FQP Surveys 242 Samples Restrictions and Matching 243 Results 244 First-Step Estimation 244 Earnings Mobility 247 Educational Mobility 248 Sensitivity Analysis 249 Discussion and Conclusion 251 Appendix: First-Step Equation 254 References 256 Japanese and Korean High Schools and Students in Comparative Perspective 258 Background 258 Rote Learning, Memorization, and Lack of Creativity? 260 Making Talented Students Mediocre? 262 Effects of Family Socioeconomic Status 263 Within-School and Between-School Effects 265 Academic vs. Vocational Schools 268 Public vs. Private Schools 271 Conclusion 274 References 275 Family Background, School System and Academic Achievement in Germany and in Japan 277 Introduction 277 German and Japanese Education System 278 Basic Structure of Tripartite Relationships SES, School and Math Performance 280 School System and Family Background 283 Grade 289 Mother's Job Status 291 Study Hours Outside Schools 291 Summary and Discussion 296 References 298 Features of Educational Systems as Factors in the Creation of Unequal Educational Outcomes 300 Introduction 300 Processes that Contribute to Educational Inequality 300 Ability 301 Social Background and Other Social Divisions 303 Segregation Between Schools and Areas 305 Reasons for Segregation 305 Five Consequences of School Segregation 307 Teaching Conditions 309 Favourable Conditions 310 Unequal Division of Teaching Conditions 311 Criteria and Morale 312 Public and Hidden Differentiation 312 Early Selection for Different Types of Education 313 Internal Differentiation 314 Hierarchy of Disciplines 316 Transfer 317 Relationship Between Highest Educational Level and Labour Market Opportunities 318 Vocational Education 319 Market Sectors 321 Relationship Between Inequality in Education and in Other Social Sectors 322 Partners 322 Divorce 324 Migration 325 Culture 327 Are Inequalities in Educational Outcomes Caused by Features of Educational Systems? 327 References 328 Author Index 329 Subject Index 333 Front Matter....Pages i-viii The Gordian Knit Between Quality and Inequality of Education: A Cross-National Attempt to Unraveling....Pages 1-10 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 The Influence of Educational Segregation on Educational Achievement....Pages 13-40 Institutional Tracking and Achievement Growth: Exploring Difference-in-Differences Approach to PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA Data....Pages 41-81 Educational Expansion and Social Class Returns to Tertiary Qualifications in Post-communist Countries....Pages 83-110 Front Matter....Pages 111-111 Educational Gaps Between Immigrant and Native Students in Europe: The Role of Grade....Pages 113-136 How Do School Regimes Tackle Ethnic Segregation: Some Insights Supported in PISA 2006....Pages 137-162 The Educational Attainment of Second Generation Immigrants from Different Countries of Origin in the EU Member-States....Pages 163-204 Talking the Same Language : How Does Education in the Mother Tongue Affect the Pupils’ Scholastic Achievement in the Parallel School Systems?....Pages 205-225 Front Matter....Pages 227-227 The Intergenerational Transmission of Income and Education: A Comparison of Japan and France....Pages 229-253 Japanese and Korean High Schools and Students in Comparative Perspective....Pages 255-273 Family Background, School System and Academic Achievement in Germany and in Japan....Pages 275-297 Features of Educational Systems as Factors in the Creation of Unequal Educational Outcomes....Pages 299-327 Back Matter....Pages 329-336