How socioeconomic status affects a child's education – Investigating objective and subjective factors involved in shaping educational success in Germany

Abstract

Differences in educational trajectories between social backgrounds can only be partially explained by differences in cognitive abilities and are therefore considered educational inequalities. In this study, multiple constructs involved in the prediction of educational success were investigated in a joint approach to specify their unique contributions and to identify mechanisms associated with how socioeconomic status (SES) influences education. Multiple regression analyses were conducted on N = 2273 children (aged 10 to 12). The effect of SES on educational success was found to function via two mechanisms: First, the effect of school grades and home environment on the assignment to secondary school was moderated by SES showing stronger influence at higher SES levels. In contrast, being conscientious exerted a stronger influence for low SES children. Second, high SES children were more likely to display characteristics that positively affected their academic performance (e.g., higher self-perceived ability, educational aspiration, cognitive abilities). Overall, the disadvantage of children with low SES can be explained by the central findings that (1) school grades played a lesser role for low SES children in their recommendation for further educational paths after primary school, and (2) high SES children showed higher self-perceived abilities and higher educational aspirations unrelated to their cognitive abilities which was associated with higher educational success. Why these mechanisms occur and where they originate should be further investigated considering additional factors.