Track prejudice in Belgian secondary schools: examining the influence of social-psychological and structural school features

While considerable research in education has established objective and subjective status differences between tracks and focused on the outcomes of ability grouping on students' educational and broader outcomes, there is virtually no research that explains students' variability in track val...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oxford review of education 2024-01, Vol.50 (1), p.6-23
Main Authors: Dekeyser, Lorenz, Van Houtte, Mieke, Maene, Charlotte, Stevens, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability
Adolescents
chauvinism
Educational tracking
Ethnic identity
Ethnic studies
Friendship
Patriotism
Prejudice
quantitative research
School psychology
secondary education
Secondary schools
Sexism
Social identity
Social norms
Social policy
Social psychology
Students
Valuation
Variability
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Summary:While considerable research in education has established objective and subjective status differences between tracks and focused on the outcomes of ability grouping on students' educational and broader outcomes, there is virtually no research that explains students' variability in track valuation. This study relies on theoretical insights from social psychology, ethnic studies and school effects research to develop hypotheses about the influence of individual and school level features on students' track valuation. Data from The School, Identity and Society survey, involving 4,540 adolescents from 64 Belgian schools is utilised, using multilevel modelling. The findings show the relevance of social identity theory and social norms in students judging all tracks; and track chauvinism, patriotism and cross-track friendships in explaining variability in students' prejudice towards other tracks. However, these relationships vary according to the track position of the student. The conclusions discuss the implications of this study for future research and social policy.
ISSN:0305-4985
1465-3915
DOI:10.1080/03054985.2022.2146078