Different systems, same inequalities? Post-compulsory education and young adults’ literacy in 18 OECD countries

an article by Camilla Borgna (Research Unit “Skill Formation and Labor Markets”, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Germany) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 27 Issue 4 (October 2017)

Abstract

Education is increasingly seen as a substitute for social policy, but opportunities for skill development vary by social background and educational institutions are not neutral in this respect.

While previous research has extensively examined how schooling affects skills distribution, the role of post-compulsory education has been long overlooked.

Using data from the 2011/2012 Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competences, this article investigates how selected features of upper secondary and tertiary education are connected to the social stratification of young adults’ literacy skills in 18 OECD countries.

First, I use individual-level regressions to assess the extent to which disparities in the skills of 24- to 29-year-old individuals are explained by parental education in each country.

Second, I apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis across countries to investigate under which institutional conditions the social stratification of young adults’ literacy skills is most severe.

The findings point to the existence of functionally equivalent education regimes:

• young adults face severe disparities not only in socially selective higher education systems but also in relatively open systems characterized by institutional differentiation; moreover,
• disparities arising during compulsory schooling are consequential for the skill distribution of young adults, underscoring the importance of a life-course approach to education policies.

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Spoilt for choice, spoilt by choice: Long-term consequences of limitations imposed by social background

an article by Vicky Duckworth and Matthew Cochrane (Edge Hill University, Ormskirk) published in Education + Training Volume 54 Issue 7 (2012)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the choices learners have in steering their way through the educational system in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on data from two studies, one conducted in a state secondary school and the other in a Further Education College, both based in the north-west of England. Both used interviews (either individual or focus-group) to collect data, which were then analysed using a grounded approach.
Findings
In linking the two studies the authors highlight how the impact of symbolic violence and the relations between groups and classes at school continue into the “choices” the learners make during adulthood and also into the learner’s working life, and that these “choices” are often a large-scale consequence of many “micro-choices” arising from day-to-day situations. The acts of symbolic violence described in the college group are not of themselves very different from those described by the school group, though the consequences for the school group cannot yet be known.
Research limitations/implications
The participants in the two groups are unconnected in that they attend different institutions and are at very different stages of their education. However the authors contend that there is a connection in terms of the participants’ experience of symbolic violence.
Originality/value
The paper draws attention to the existence of symbolic violence in everyday school life, and highlights how these instances can have significant impact.

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