| Popis: |
The transition to secondary school tracks is a major source of inequality in the German school system. Most studies on track choice neglect the role of the children. In the present study, I analyze the determinants, the influence, and the social stratification of the idealistic track aspirations of 4,589 German 4th-graders. I argue that, in case their track aspiration differs from their parents’, children can directly influence the track choice through intrafamily bargaining. Using data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), I find that parent-child mismatches in educational aspirations are relatively common. Children’s track aspirations are strongly influenced by parents and teachers, but also by the aspiration level in their school class. Moreover, I present evidence for a considerable impact of children’s track aspirations on the final choice of track. Lastly, I show that parent-child mismatches are more common when the parental socioeconomic status (SES) is low and that children’s influence increases with SES. The results question the exclusion of the perspective of children in studies on educational decision making. |
