Why Teachers Assign Socially Unequal Marks. A Case for Establishing Tertiary Origin Effects in the Model of Primary and Secondary Effects of Educational Research

Marcel Helbig, Tatiana Morar

Abstract


Subjective expected utility theory assumes that educational paths result from the interplay of primary effects – students’ cognitive skills – and secondary effects – academic decisions regarding their educational future. We argue that thus far, the assignment of marks has not been accounted for in the scope of Boudon’s model of primary and secondary effects. We propose an elaborated model in which psychological traits are included in the concept of primary effects and introduce a further component, tertiary effects, indicating teachers’ socially unequal assignment of marks. Empirically, we demonstrate that a specific psychological skill set has moderate influence on students’ marks, it does not, however, account for social inequalities in the assignment of marks. Nevertheless, our findings show that social differences in marks can almost entirely be explained by cognitive, psychological and resource-related tertiary effects. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the extent of tertiary effects is associated with the scholastic configuration of educational institutions. Lastly, we observe that teachers unknowingly overvalue children from higher social classes because they deem them more talented, more willing to achieve and better equipped with parental resources than children from lower social classes. A key question for future research is to find reasons for this biased perception.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.7.1


Keywords


marks, social inequality, teacher

Full Text:

PDF

References


Artelt, C., Blossfeld, H.-P., Faust, G., Roßbach, H.-G., & Sabine, W. (2013). Bildungsprozesse, Kompetenzentwicklung und Selektionsentscheidungen im Vorschul- und Schulalter (BiKS-8-14). Version 1. [Data set]. Retrieved

Awad, G. H. (2007). The role of racial identity, academic self-concept, and self-esteem in the prediction of academic outcomes for African American students. Journal of Black Psychology, 33(2), pp. 188-207. doi:10.1177/0095798407299513

Blossfeld, P. N., Blossfeld, G. J., & Blossfeld, H.-P. (2015). Educational Expansion and Inequalities in Educational Opportunity: Long-Term Changes for East and West Germany. European Sociological Review, 31(2), pp. 144-160. doi:10.1093/esr/jcv017

Bos, W., Voss, A., Lankes, E.-M., Schwippert, K., Thiel, O., & Valtin, R. (2004). Schullaufbahnempfehlungen von Lehrkräften für Kinder am Ende der vierten Jahrgangsstufe. In W. Bos, E.-M. Lankes, M. Prenzel, K. Schwippert, R. Valtin & G. Walther (Eds.), IGLU Einige Länder der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im nationalen und internationalen Vergleich (pp. 191 - 220). Münster: Waxmann.

Bos, W., Wendt, H., Köller, O., & Selter, C. (2015). Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011 [Data set]. Retrieved

Boudon, R. (1974). Education, opportunity, and social inequality: Changing prospects in Western society New York, NY: Wiley.

Bourdieu, P. (1973). Kulturelle Reproduktion und soziale Reproduktion. In P. Bourdieu (Ed.), Grundlagen einer Theorie der symbolischen Gewalt (pp. 88-137). Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Bourdieu, P. (1987). Die feinen Unterschiede. Kritik der gesellschaftlichen Urteilskraft Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Cloninger, C. R. (1998). The genetics and psychobiology of the tertiaseven-factor model of personality.

Conley, J. J. (1984). The hierarchy of consistency: A review and model of longitudinal findings on adult individual differences in intelligence, personality and self opinion. Personality and Individual Differences, 5(1), pp. 11-25. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(84)90133-8

Diehl, C., Hunkler, C., & Kristen, C. (2016). Ethnische Ungleichheiten im Bildungsverlauf: Mechanismen, Befunde, Debatten Wiesbaden: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-04322-3

Dollmann, J. (2016). Ethnische Ungleichheiten im Bildungsverlauf: Mechanismen, Befunde, Debatten. In C. Diehl, C. Hunkler & C. Kristen (Eds.), Ethnische Ungleichheiten im Bildungsverlauf (pp. 517-542). Wiesbaden: Springer

Esser, H. (2016). Bildungssysteme und ethnische Bildungsungleichheit. In C. H. Claudia Diehl, Cornelia Kristen (Ed.), Ethnische Ungleichheiten im Bildungsverlauf: Mechanismen, Befunde, Debatten (pp. 331-396). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-04322-3_8

Findley, M. J., & Cooper, H. M. (1983). Locus of control and academic achievement: a literature review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(2), p 419. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.44.2.419

Flouri, E. (2006). Parental interest in children's education, children's selfâ€esteem and locus of control, and later educational attainment: Twentyâ€six year followâ€up of the 1970 British Birth Cohort. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(1), pp. 41-55.

Gifford, D. D., Briceno-Perriott, J., & Mianzo, F. (2006). Locus of Control: Academic Achievement and Retention in a Sample of University First-Year Students. Journal of College Admission, 191(18-25)

Gresch, C. (2012). Der Ãœbergang in die Sekundarstufe I: Leistungsbeurteilung, Bildungsaspiration und rechtlicher Kontext bei Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund Wiesbaden: Springer VS. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-18660-3_11

Guay, F., Marsh, H. W., & Boivin, M. (2003). Academic self-concept and academic achievement: Developmental perspectives on their causal ordering. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), p 124. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.124

Helbig, M., & Nikolai, R. (2015). Die Unvergleichbaren. Der Wandel der Schulsysteme in den 16 deutschen Bundesländern seit 1949 Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.

Jaeger, M. M., & Breen, R. (2016). A dynamic model of cultural reproduction. American Journal of Sociology, 121 (4), pp. 1079-1115 doi:10.1086/684012

John, O. P., Naumann, L. P., & Soto, C. J. (2008). Paradigm shift to the integrative big five trait taxonomy. Handbook of personality: Theory and research, 3, pp. 114-158.

Jonassaint, C. R., Siegler, I. C., Barefoot, J. C., Edwards, C. L., & Williams, R. B. (2011). Low life course socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with negative NEO PI-R personality patterns. International journal of behavioral medicine, 18(1), pp. 13-21. doi:10.1007/s12529-009-9069-x

Kaiser, T. (2016). Socioeconomic status, parenting and conscientiousness: the unequal devel-opment of children's focus. Journal of Family Studies, pp. 1-24.

Köller, O., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., & Baumert, J. (2006). Zum Zusammenspiel von schulischer Leistung, Selbstkonzept und Interesse in der gymnasialen Oberstufe. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 20(1/2), pp. 27-39. doi:10.1024/1010-0652.20.12.27

Lehmann, R. (2008). Erhebung zum Lese- und Mathematikverständnis: Entwicklung in den Jahrgangsstufen 4 bis 6 in Berlin. [Data set]. Retrieved

Maaz, K., Baeriswyl, F., & Trautwein, U. (2011). Herkunft zensiert? Leistungsdiagnostik und soziale Ungleichheiten in der Schule. Eine Studie im Auftrag der Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-19393-9_13

Maaz, K., & Nagy, G. (2010). Der Übergang von der Grundschule in die weiterführenden Schulen des Sekundarschulsystems: Definition, Spezifikation und Quantifizierung primärer und sekundärer Herkunftseffekte. In K. Maaz, J. Baumert, C. Gresch & N. McElvany (Eds.), Der Übergang von der Grundschule in die weiterführende Schule - Leistungsgerechtigkeit und regionale, soziale und ethnisch-kulturelle Disparitäten (pp. 153-182). Berlin: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-92216-4_7

Maqsud, M., & Rouhani, S. (1991). Relationships between socioeconomic status, locus of control, self-concept, and academic achievement of Batswana adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20(1), pp. 107-114. doi:10.1007/bf01537354

Marsh, H. W. (1984). Self-Concept: The Application of a Frame of Reference Model to Explain Paradoxical Results. Australian Journal of Education, 28(2), pp. 165-181. doi:10.1177/000494418402800207

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1994). The stability of personality: Observations and evaluations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3(6), pp. 173-175. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770693

McInerney, D. M., & Ali, J. (2006). Multidimensional and hierarchical assessment of school motivation: Cross-cultural validation. Educational Psychology, 26, pp. 595-612. doi:10.1080/01443410500342559

Multon, K. D., Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of counseling psychology, 38(1), p 30. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.38.1.30

Neugebauer, M. (2010). Bildungsungleichheit und Grundschulempfehlung beim Übergang auf das Gymnasium: Eine Dekomposition primärer und sekundärer Herkunftseffekte. Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 39(3), pp. 202-214. doi:10.1515/zfsoz-2010-0303

Pajares, F., & Johnson, M. J. (1994). Confidence and competence in writing: The role of self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and apprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, pp. 313-331.

Poropat, A. E. (2009). A meta-analysis of the five-factor model of personality and academic performance. Psychological Bulletin, 135(2), p 322. doi:10.1037/a0014996

Rauer, W., & Schuck, K. D. (2003). FEESS 3-4. Fragebogen zur Erfassung emotionaler und sozialer Schulerfahrungen von Grundschulkindern dritter und vierter Klassen. Göttingen: Beltz.

Rogers, C. M., Smith, M. D., & Coleman, J. M. (1978). Social comparison in the classroom: the relationship between academic achievement and self-concept. Journal of educational psychology, 70(1), pp. 50-57. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.70.1.50

Royston, P. (2004). Multiple imputation of missing values. Stata Journal, 4(3), pp. 227-241.

Stanat, P., Pant, H. A., Böhme, K., Richter, D., Weirich, S., Haag, N., . . . Reimers, H. (2014). IQB Ländervergleich Primarstufe 2011 (IQB-LV 2011) [Data set]. Retrieved

Stubbe, T. C., & Bos, W. (2008). Schullaufbahnempfehlungen von Lehrkräften und Schullaufbahnentscheidungen von Eltern am Ende der vierten Jahrgangsstufe. Empirische Pädagogik, 22(1), pp. 49-63.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493