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Micro-, Meso-, and Macro-Level Determinants of Educational Inequalities: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Objective

Governments across the world recognize the right of the child to education on the basis of equal opportunity. Education shall allow children to develop their talents, abilities, and personality, and the principle of equal opportunity shall guarantee the eradication of any kind of discrimination. Accordingly, in a meritocratic system, educational outcomes should be directly related to individual merit. However, research shows that ascriptive (‘non-merit’) characteristics such as social origin also play a role in shaping educational outcomes. For instance, across OECD countries, no more than one out of five students from families with a low educational background attains a degree in tertiary education, as opposed to two thirds of students from families with at least one parent with tertiary education. These disparities are often considered as a measure of inequality of opportunity and therefore deserve attention from both scientists and policymakers. To date, despite an increasing body of knowledge on educational inequalities, only very little research exists on additive and interactive effects of micro-, meso-, and macro-level characteristics on educational inequalities. Against this background, the proposed research project shall use an interdisciplinary analytic framework to assess how micro-level psychological characteristics (e.g. self-efficacy and motivation), meso-level (family and school) characteristics, and macro-level characteristics (educational policies and wider societal contexts) affect social inequalities in education, and whether their distinct combinations shape inequalities. Data will be derived from standardized cross-national surveys (PISA, TIMSS) as well as from longitudinal cohort studies (e.g. BCS70, MCS, YDS). A variety of state-of-the-art research methods will be employed, including multilevel analysis and growth curve modeling, to generate scientific evidence and extend theory on major determinants of social disparities in education.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 171 792,60
Address
GOWER STREET
WC1E 6BT LONDON
United Kingdom

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Region
London Inner London — West Camden and City of London
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 171 792,60

Partners (1)

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