Abstract
In this article, we evaluate the impact of social origin on the realisation of educational intentions at the time of becoming eligible for higher education in Germany. In general, we find high persistence of intentions and actual attendance of higher education. However, effects of parental education on the changes of educational intentions increase the existing social inequality with regard to higher education at the time of leaving secondary school. The group which is affected most are those young adults planning to study after vocational training—while the gap between different origin groups does not widen much during other stop-outs from education. This can be explained only partly by previous educational performance. The findings suggest that estimates of educational inequality are attenuated when entry into higher education is approximated by educational intentions of young adults.
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Notes
Enrolment into several study programmes in Germany is limited and candidates are mainly evaluated on the basis of the GPA of the upper secondary school-leaving exam (Abitur or Fachhochschulreife).
in the course of the so called “Bologna”-reforms to harmonize the European higher education sector.
This group was excluded as they are in a completely different situation. To choose entering vocational education first is not a possible option. We would need to analyse them separately, which is not possible with the small number of these young adults in our sample.
Measured as grade of upper secondary degree centralised by federal state, type of school where upper secondary degree was obtained, type of upper secondary degree, age at time of the survey.
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Weiss, F., Steininger, HM. Educational family background and the realisation of educational career intentions: participation of German upper secondary graduates in higher education over time. High Educ 66, 189–202 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9598-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9598-0