Inequality in education impacts student achievement
Studies have shown that low-achieving students come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Left without proper educational guidance from home, the importance of the role of relations with peers and educators is paramount. It is important to understand how school opportunity structure fosters such relationships. An EU-funded project, SCHOOL OPP STRUCTURE (School opportunity structure and student achievement in comparative perspective), looked at two school types: vocational school and general high school. The former constituted low student achievement. A separation between the two types of education leads to social segregation in secondary school. Research involved looking at the organisation of the school types, the practices that make up student networks of institutional resources, and the conditions that help create motivation and success. A longitudinal perspective examined how opportunities are created and the ways in which such opportunities may be linked to limitations. Data was collected via in-depth interviews with students, teachers and school directors. Investigation focused on the workings of the school, including rules and regulations as well as disciplinary practices. Researchers also examined demographic information. One of the main findings was that students in vocational schools have undergone migration and that their background and educational performance are substantially influenced by school opportunity structures. Additional data uncovered connections related to trust and gender issues, adding to findings on the importance of school opportunity structure. The results are useful for school administrators and researchers in the hope of reorganising secondary schools.
Keywords
Education, student achievement, school opportunity structure, vocational school, high school
