| 1. |
- Dollmann, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Ethnic gaps in Swedish upper secondary school completion : Is 'immigrant optimism' the problem?
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In many Western countries, researchers have documented ‘immigrant optimism’ in education, i.e., the tendency for immigrant-background students to choose academically more demanding routes than others at given levels of grade point averages (GPA). For some, this indicates structural integration, while others alert against an ‘immigrant optimism trap’ when ambition trumps ability, leading to high risks of non-completion. Using longitudinal Swedish population data (n≈90,000), we estimate the upper secondary ‘completion gap’ to 12% to the detriment of immigrant-background students. We then address the ‘trap hypothesis’ via two counterfactual analyses. The first shows that if immigrant-background youth made similar educational choices as other students at the same GPA, the completion gap would shrink by 3.4 percentage points. The second analysis suggests that restricting admission to programmes based on prior GPA, which would lead to a massive relocation of low- and mid-GPA students to vocational programmes, would reduce the completion gap by 2.2 percentage points. These changes must be considered marginal in view of the substantial restrictions of choice that either of these measures would entail. We conclude that completion gaps are not primarily a result of immigrant optimism, and optimistic choices are likely to be a net positive for structural integration.
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| 2. |
- Dollmann, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Is ‘immigrant optimism’ in educational choice a problem? Ethnic gaps in Swedish upper secondary school completion
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Sociological Review. - : Oxford University Press. - 0266-7215 .- 1468-2672. ; 39:3, s. 384-399
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many Western countries, researchers have documented ambitious educational choices among students of immigrant origin, for example, the tendency to choose academically more demanding routes than others at given levels of school achievement (e.g. grades, GPA). While this may indicate integration, some warn against an ‘immigrant optimism trap’, because choosing more demanding tracks at lower levels of GPA may increase risks of non-completion. Using longitudinal Swedish population data (n ≈ 90,000), we estimate an upper secondary ‘ethnic completion gap’ of 12 per cent to the detriment of students of immigrant background. We then address the ‘trap hypothesis’ via two analyses. The first shows that if students of immigration background would make similar educational choices as other students at the same GPA, the completion gap would shrink by 3.4 percentage points. The second analysis, based on simulations, suggests that restricting admission to academic programmes based on prior GPA, would lead to a massive relocation of low- and mid-GPA students to—usually less demanding—vocational programmes, but would only reduce the completion gap by 2.2 percentage points. These changes must be considered marginal in view of the substantial restrictions of choice that either of these measures would entail. We conclude that completion gaps are not primarily a result of unfounded immigrant optimism, and that optimistic choices are likely to be a net positive for integration by improving the chances of immigrant youth to reach tertiary-level qualifications and professional occupations.
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| 3. |
- Fleishmann, Fenella, et al.
(författare)
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Gender Inequalities in the Education of the Second Generation in Western Countries
- 2014
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Ingår i: Sociology of education. - : Sage Publications. - 0038-0407 .- 1939-8573. ; 87:3, s. 143-170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drawing on comparative analyses from nine Western countries, we ask whether local-born children from a wide range of immigrant groups show patterns of female advantage in education that are similar to those prevalent in their host Western societies. We consider five outcomes throughout the educational career: test scores or grades at age 15, continuation after compulsory schooling, choice of academic track in upper-secondary education, completion of upper secondary, and completion of tertiary education. Despite great variation in gender gaps in education in immigrants’ origin countries (with advantages for males in many cases), we find that the female advantage in education observed among the majority population is usually present among second-generation immigrants. We interpret these findings in light of ideas about gender role socialization and immigrant selectivity.
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| 4. |
- Jackson, Michelle, et al.
(författare)
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Ethnic Inequality and Choice-Driven Educational Systems : A Longitudinal Study of Performance and Choice in England and Sweden
- 2012
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Ingår i: Sociology of education. - : Sage Publications. - 0038-0407 .- 1939-8573. ; 85:2, s. 158-178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The authors ask whether choice-driven education systems, with comprehensive schools and mass education at the secondary and tertiary level, represented in this article by England and Sweden, provide educational opportunities for ethnic minorities. In studying educational attainment, the authors make a theoretical distinction between mechanisms connected with school performance on the one hand (primary effects) and educational choice, given performance, on the other (secondary effects). Using large national data sets and recently developed methods, they show that performance effects tend to depress the educational attainment of most, although not all, ethnic minorities, whereas choice effects increase the transition rates of these students. This pattern is repeated at the transition to university education. These results are true for many immigrant categories in both England and Sweden, although immigrant students are a heterogeneous group. Black Caribbean students in England and children of Turkish and South American descent in Sweden fare worst, while several Asian groups do extremely well. The authors conclude that it may be a generic feature of choice-driven school systems in Western societies to benefit non-European immigrants, and they discuss some possible explanations for this.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Jonsson, Jan O., et al.
(författare)
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Ethnic differences in early school-leaving
- 2014
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Ingår i: Unequal attainments. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 9780197265741 ; , s. 95-118
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Jonsson, Jan O., 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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Weak Performance - Strong Determination : School Achievement and Educational Choice among Children of Immigrants in Sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Sociological Review. - : Oxford University Press. - 0266-7215 .- 1468-2672. ; 27:4, s. 487-508
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We ask how the advantages and disadvantages in the educational careers of children of immigrants in Sweden are produced, making a theoretical distinction between mechanisms connected with school performance on one hand, and educational choice on the other. Using a new data set, covering six full cohorts of Swedish-born ninth-graders in 1998–2003 (N¼612,730), with matched school-Census information, we show that children of non-European immigrant origin are disadvantaged in their school performance but advantaged in their choice of academic upper secondary education. They have lower and more often incomplete grades, which force a sizeable proportion—10–20 per cent—into non-meritorious tracks or lead them to leave school. Given grades, children of non-European background make heterogeneous choices: many do not enrol in upper secondary education, but among those who do the propensity is high that they choose academic studies before vocational. In contrast, children of the ‘old’ (chiefly Nordic) labour immigrants are similar to the majority group in their equal preference for these two routes. A school system where choice plays a significant role appears to be advantageous for the often high-aspiring second-generation immigrant students, but greater efforts to reduce early achievement differences may still alleviate ethnic minority disadvantages.
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