Recent studies have revealed a close link between students’ social background and their acquisition of digital competencies. This study investigates i) whether social disparities in digital competencies are increasing or decreasing over time, and ii) the primary mechanisms driving these changes. Using data from the German sample of the large-scale ‘International Computer and Information Literacy Study’ (ICILS), we analyse the digital competencies of secondary school students and their home and school learning environments in 2013, 2018 and 2023. Theoretically, we draw on the Theory of Effectively Maintained Inequality and hypothesise how social differences in digital competencies have evolved in the digital age. Through linear regression and decomposition techniques, our findings indicate that social differences in students’ digital competencies have increased significantly over the past decade. Over the entire observation period, the cultural home environment and school type are the primary factors driving social differences in digital competencies. Their relevance increases over time in proportion to the overall rise in social differences in digital competencies. The mechanisms of inequality in digital competencies closely mirror those in other areas of social inequality. However, it is also apparent that an increasing proportion of the competence differences by social background remains unexplained over time, suggesting the need for an in-depth analysis.

This study investigates which families are more likely to send their preschool children to early childcare and education (ECEC) institutions. We conceptualize children’s ECEC attendance as a manifestation of parental behavior, which relates to parents’ beliefs about gender and parental roles. We analyze families’ positions in the social structure, i.e., their immigration background and socioeconomic status as moderating factors between their beliefs about gender and parenting, called gender ideologies. Using data from the German PASS Survey, we identify strong associations between gender ideologies of parents and childcare use. Children with parents, who hold egalitarian gender ideologies, are most likely to attend ECEC, whereas those with essentialist parents are least likely to do so. In addition, higher levels of socioeconomic status facilitate alignment between parents’ egalitarian gender ideologies and children’s attendance in ECEC. We find migration related disparities in ECEC use for most immigrant groups under study, but no evidence of an additional migrant penalty for parents with low socioeconomic backgrounds and essentialist gender ideologies. Our analysis systematically underscores the importance of gender ideologies in predicting actual parental behavior.

Die Zahl der geflüchteten Schüler*innen an deutschen Schulen hat in den letzten Jahren zugenommen, was zu einer weiteren sprachlichen Diversifizierung der Klassen führte. Lehrpersonen sind zentrale Akteur*innen, wenn es um den Umgang mit Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht geht. Teil ihrer professionellen Kompetenz sind Überzeugungen, die sich auf ihr Handeln im Unterricht auswirken. Positive Lehrpersonenüberzeugungen zu Mehrsprachigkeit sind eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Frage, ob Lehrpersonen Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht zulassen. Geflüchtete Schüler*innen als zumeist zunächst nicht-deutschsprachige Seiteneinsteiger*innen in deutsche Schulen sind besonders auf positive Überzeugungen von Lehrpersonen zu Mehrsprachigkeit angewiesen. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Rolle von Lehrpersonenüberzeugungen zu Mehrsprachigkeit anhand von einer Befragung von Lehrpersonen (N = 323) und Schüler*innen (N = 74), die aus Syrien, Afghanistan und dem Irak geflüchtet sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Lehrpersonenüberzeugungen zu Mehrsprachigkeit den Zusammenhang von Lerngelegenheiten im Bereich Deutsch als Fremd- bzw. Zweitsprache und dem selbstberichteten Lehrpersonenhandeln in Bezug auf Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht mediieren. Zudem erweist sich aus Perspektive geflüchteter Schüler*innen die Schulkultur der Einzelschule als relevant für den Umgang mit Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht.

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit den Leitlinien und pädagogischen Grundüberzeugungen zu Integration und Inklusion in frühkindlichen Bildungseinrichtungen. Anhand der Kindergartenkonzeptionen aus der Studie „Kinder und Kitas in Deutschland“ (K 2 ID) untersuchen wir mittels Topic Modeling und standardisierter Inhaltsanalyse, wie Integration und Inklusion in diesen Dokumenten jeweils thematisiert werden. Dabei bilden diejenigen Textstellen, die sich speziell mit den Themen Integration und/oder Inklusion beschäftigen, unseren Textkorpus. Die Auswertungen zeigen, dass insbesondere Kinder mit Behinderung sehr häufig als Zielgruppe adressiert werden – und zwar in Konzeptionen, die den Inklusionsbegriff verwenden, ebenso häufig wie in Konzeptionen, die den Integrationsbegriff nutzen. In Konzeptionen mit dem Integrationsbegriff ist häufiger eine Förderperspektive vorhanden als in Konzeptionen mit dem Inklusionsbegriff, während sich die Häufigkeit der Thematisierung von Teilhabe nicht unterscheidet. Die Ergebnisse des Topic-Modeling zeigen zudem typische Kombinationen von Integrations- bzw. Inklusionsaspekten. Etwa kann die Kombination aus einem Fokus auf „Integrationskinder“, einer Förderperspektive sowie einer zentralen Rolle von (heilpädagogischen) Spezialisten als assimilativer Integrationsansatz charakterisiert werden, während das Topic „Inklusion: Vielfalt und Teilhabe von allen“ einen breiten Inklusionsansatz repräsentiert. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen jedoch noch weitere Kombinationen und Schwerpunktsetzungen (z. B. gemeinsames Leben und Lernen von Kindern mit und ohne Behinderung; soziale und kulturelle Integration). Insgesamt hat sich somit die Berücksichtigung verschiedener Aspekte und Dimensionen von Integration und Inklusion als fruchtbar erwiesen.

Students from a high socioeconomic background show relatively homogeneous, high levels of educational attainment, whereas students with a low socioeconomic origin display a large variability in their educational careers. In this paper, we examine whether the varying degrees of students' academic self-efficacy can contribute to an explanation of this variation. Focusing on Germany's highly stratified educational system, we utilized the CILS4EU dataset to analyse the association between the academic self-efficacy of students from low and high socioeconomic backgrounds in 9th grade and their later educational aspirations and transitions. Our results show that students from non-academic families are much more likely to (a) aspire to an Abitur, (b) transition to upper secondary school, and (c) enter tertiary education if they exhibit a high level of academic self-efficacy. In contrast, academic self-efficacy shows no link to the educational aspirations and decisions of students who have at least one parent with an academic certificate. Our research is guided by the question 'to what extent do adolescents' educational and political efficacy beliefs influence their later educational and political behaviour?' Thus, the project seeks to examine what happens when adolescents of a disadvantaged (vs. advantaged) group (operationalized by socio-economic status and immigrant origin) experience success (vs. failure) in the education system: How are their personal, group, and system efficacy beliefs shaped by those experiences? As part of this, we utilize the CILS4EU data to follow students' educational pathways from age 14 to age 22 and analyse socioeconomic differences in the link between students' academic self-efficacy and their educational aspirations and decisions.

This chapter focuses on differences in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for educational purposes at home between students from different social strata. It combines the literatures on digital inequalities and educational inequalities to develop a theoretical framework for the explanation of social inequality in educational ICT use at home. An overview of how inequalities in educational and ICT activities outside of school are theorised in both literatures reveals some remarkable similarities. Two main determinants can be identified in both research traditions: students are more likely to engage in an educational or ICT activity if they have the opportunity (access, skills) and are motivated to do so. Social inequality in educational ICT use at home is therefore regarded as the result of differences in educational and/or ICT opportunities and motivations. These conceptual considerations will be illustrated with empirical examples using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 data. Results show that the difference in educational ICT use between students with higher- and lower-educated parents disappears when educational and ICT resources at home and the academic and ICT motivations of the students are controlled. Educational and ICT resources and motivations interact in a way that the educational as well as the ICT aspects are necessary conditions for students to engage in educational ICT activities at home.

Although research indicates that students with immigrant backgrounds often have higher educational aspirations than students without immigrant backgrounds at the same performance level, little is known about the longitudinal development of this difference in aspirations. This article analyzes how idealistic and realistic educational aspirations from Grade 5 until Grade 9 in Germany develop for students from various migrant groups, compared with those without immigrant backgrounds at the same school track and at the same level of school performance. Drawing on different theoretical assumptions, we examine to what extent students (increasingly) adapt their aspirations to their school performance toward the end of compulsory schooling. Our empirical analysis uses data from the first five waves (Grades 5–9; 2010/11–2014/15) of the National Educational Panel Study in Germany ( N = 5,542). Random-effects model results show a positive association between students’ school performance and their idealistic and realistic aspirations, and this association tends to increase over time. However, there is no uniform pattern in students’ aspiration trajectories. Some migrant groups (Poland, Southern Europe, former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) have similar aspiration trajectories as students without immigrant backgrounds at the same performance level, while other groups (Turkey, Northern and Western Europe, and others) maintain higher idealistic aspirations. Controlling for school performance, only students of Turkish origin also maintain higher realistic aspirations until Grade 9. These findings allow us to better understand the conditions behind the educational disadvantages of some migrant groups and offer insights into how best to further mitigate inequalities in educational outcomes.

This article focuses on the role of teachers' attitudes towards cultural diversity in teaching refugee students in Germany. We examine which patterns of attitudes towards cultural diversity are common among teachers, how these depend on their professional experience and how they correlate with the perceptions of problems in teaching refugee students. Using data from the project 'Changing schools in a post-migrant society: School culture(s) in the current context of forced migration', the results of cluster analysis show that there is a dividing line between teachers who support pluralistic approaches (i.e. multiculturalism, egalitarianism and anti-racism) and those who reject them. Overall, we identified four clusters: 'pluralism sceptics', 'pluralism opponents', 'pluralism supporters', and 'pragmatists' (who approved of all concepts). The 'pluralism rejecters' (clusters 1 and 2 combined) were the least experienced in teaching refugee children. The 'pluralism supporters' saw the fewest problems in teaching refugee students, while the 'pragmatists' had an above-average perception of problems. The 'pluralism rejecters' occupied a middle position in this regard, with one notable exception: they were particularly likely to perceive cultural differences as a problem in teaching refugee students.

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes inequalities in using information and communication technologies (ICTs) for educational activities outside school by social origin, immigrant background, and gender. It examines whether these inequalities just work additively or whether certain combinations of these groups are associated with specific advantages or disadvantages and which factors drive these differences. Data from the EU sample of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 are used for the empirical analyses. The results show that male students with immigrant background and highly educated parents have the highest frequency of educational ICT use, while native female students with less educated parents show the lowest frequency. However, the group categories also interact: An academic family background is more advantageous for students with immigrant background and for boys than for native students and girls. The male advantage can be attributed to a general higher frequency of boys using ICTs in their free time, while the advantage of an academic family background is mainly due to a better endowment with educational resources at home. Implications for research and practice are discussed. IMPACT SUMMARY a. Prior State of Knowledge: Inequalities in students’ (offline) educational activities according to their social origin, immigrant background, and gender are well known. Differences in students’ ICT usage have been documented as well. However, the two literatures have hardly been combined so far. b. Novel Contributions: The paper examines whether inequalities in adolescents’ ICT use for educational purposes outside school exist according to social origin, immigrant background, and gender. It also analyzes how far these inequalities interact and which factors drive these inequalities. c. Practical Implications: As some social groups were shown to be less familiar with educational ICT use at home, all students should be supported in acquiring familiarity in using ICTs for educational purposes, e.g., by strengthening the inclusion of ICTs at school.

The article addresses the question of how the transition of newly arrived immigrant children and youths into the German education system is shaped by these students and their teachers. For the empirical analysis, we draw on ethnographic data from a research project using situation analysis, and supplement these with two quantitative datasets (SOEP, SchuWaMi). The results show ambivalences and inconsistencies in this transition demonstrated by both groups of actors. The participation of newly arrived immigrant students in everyday school life is often limited, but they still express a high sense of belonging to the school. The teachers tend to struggle between individual self-organization and a lack of institutionalized recognition and structure. In addition, (non) existing capacities at school influence when and how a transition to a regular class takes place.

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie der Übergang von neu zugewanderten Kindern und Jugendlichen in das deutsche Bildungssystem von diesen sogenannten Seiteneinsteiger*innen sowie den beteiligten Lehrkräften (aus-)gestaltet wird. Zur empirischen Untersuchung wird auf ethnografisch gewonnene Daten aus einem situationsanalytischen Forschungsprojekt sowie ergänzend auf zwei quantitative Datensätze (SOEP, SchuWaMi) zurückgegriffen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen bei beiden Akteursgruppen Ambivalenzen und Widersprüchlichkeiten bei diesem Übergang. Die Teilhabe der Seiteneinsteiger*innen am schulischen Alltag ist oftmals eingeschränkt, dennoch drücken sie ein hohes Zugehörigkeitsgefühl zur Schule aus. Bei den Lehrkräften kann ein Changieren zwischen individueller Selbstorganisation und einer weitgehend fehlenden strukturellen Anbindung sowie institutionellen Anerkennung festgestellt werden. Zudem beeinflussen (nicht) vorhandene Kapazitäten an der Schule, wann und wie ein Übergang in eine Regelklasse erfolgt.

We apply Boudon's distinction between primary and secondary effects to ethnic educational inequalities and analyze the primary effects of ethnic origin, i.e., 'ethnic gaps' in children's school performance net of social origin. First, we replicate previous research and examine the importance of the primary effects of ethnic origin in explaining the disadvantages of Turkish-origin children during the transition to secondary education in Germany. Second, we trace the roots of these disparities in early childhood and analyze how far skill gaps at age three can explain later ethnic differences in school performance. We used longitudinal data with about 500 children of native-born parents and 400 children of Turkish origin from the age of three until the fourth grade. Results show that the primary effects of ethnic origin substantially contribute to the unequal transition rates to the Gymnasium. The primary effects of ethnic origin can be traced back to early childhood. In particular, German language skills at age three are highly predictive of ethnic inequalities in later school performance.

Zusammenfassung Sowohl die Praxisliteratur zum Einrichtungsmanagement als auch der Gesetzgeber sehen pädagogische Konzeptionen als ein probates Mittel zur Steuerung der Qualität von Kindertageseinrichtungen. Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte 583 Kita-Konzeptionen von Einrichtungen aus ganz Deutschland mithilfe eines neu entwickelten Codierschemas und quantitativen Analysemethoden. Im Zentrum stehen zwei Fragen: erstens inwiefern Qualitätsmerkmale in den Dokumenten zu finden sind und zweitens, ob Rahmenbedingungen der Einrichtungen, die zu besserer Qualität in diesen führen sollten, mit ausgewählten Konzeptionsmerkmalen zusammenhängen. Die ausgewerteten Dimensionen umfassen Aspekte der Qualitätssicherung und -entwicklung, der Elternkooperation sowie Kooperationen im sozialen Nahraum. Die Konzeptionen stammen von Einrichtungen, in die Kinder der SOEP- und der TwinLife-Studien gingen. Die Dokumente erweisen sich sowohl hinsichtlich formaler als auch inhaltlicher Merkmale als sehr heterogen und können nur teilweise die in der öffentlichen und fachlichen Debatte formulierten Erwartungen erfüllen. Weniger formalisierte und einfache Formen der Qualitätssicherung und -entwicklung (z. B. Teamsitzungen) sowie der Kooperationen mit Eltern (z. B. Tür-und-Angel-Gespräche) sind häufiger dokumentiert als stärker formalisierte oder aufwändiger zu gestaltende Formen (z. B. externe Evaluationen). Bivariate Analysen nach Bundesland‑, Gemeinde- und Trägertypen zeigen, dass die Inhalte pädagogischer Konzeptionen sich nur teilweise systematisch nach diesen Kontextmerkmalen unterscheiden. Konzeptionen von Einrichtungen in kleineren Gemeinden sowie von freien und öffentlichen Trägern beschreiben eher Kooperationen mit Eltern und im sozialen Nahraum als die Konzeptionen von Einrichtungen in größeren Gemeinden und von anderen Trägern.

This article examines whether social inequality exists in European adolescents’ school-related Internet use regarding consuming (browsing) and productive (uploading/sharing) activities. These school-related activities are contrasted with adolescents’ Internet activities for entertainment purposes. Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 is used for the empirical analyses. Results of partial proportional odds models show that students with higher educated parents and more books at home tend to use the Internet more often for school-related tasks than their less privileged counterparts. This pattern is similar for school-related browsing and sharing Internet activities. In contrast to these findings on school-related Internet activities, a negative association between parental education and books at home is found with adolescents’ frequency of using the Internet for entertainment purposes. The implications of digital inequalities for educational inequalities are discussed.

BackgroundEthnic educational inequality is present in almost all Western societies. One possible explanation for the persisting disadvantages of children from immigrant family backgrounds is discrimination. Individual ethnic discrimination has been reported in the form of ethnic bias in school teachers' evaluations and recommendations. Children of immigrant families tend to be disadvantaged with regard to both school teachers' evaluations of their competencies as well as to recommendations of further steps in their educational career.PurposeThe aim of this research paper is to analyse whether ethnic bias is also present at earlier stages of the educational career, in kindergarten teachers' recommendations. The study, conducted in Germany, investigated (a) whether kindergartens' recommendations of school entry (early, regular or delayed school entry) differed with respect to whether the child had a Turkish migration background or was a child of German origin and (b) whether these potential differences can be explained by children's individual skill levels and family background characteristics.Design, sample and methodsThe research was carried out from a quantitative secondary analysis, using data from the longitudinal project Preschool education and educational careers among migrant children', conducted in Germany since 2006. The sample consists of 742 children, with around half of the sample being children of Turkish origin and half being children of German origin, and their parents. Parents were interviewed and children's individual skills were tested using standardised instruments from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. The effect of Turkish origin on kindergarten teachers' school entry recommendations is analysed, controlling for children's social background, individual skills (non-verbal cognition, German language, mathematics) and children's social behaviour, using a stepwise multinomial logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe analysis indicated that, although kindergarten teachers' school entry recommendations differed according to a child's ethnic background, there was no ethnic bias evident. Children of Turkish origin were significantly less frequently recommended for early school entry than children of German origin and significantly more often for delayed school entry, but these differences vanished when the parents' educational level was controlled and disappeared when children's individual skills and social behaviour were additionally considered in the model.ConclusionsWe conclude that, in the sample studied, there was no ethnic bias in kindergarten teachers' school entry recommendations. The disadvantage of children of Turkish origin as compared to the children of German origin can be fully explained by differences in parental educational level and children's individual skills and social behaviour. The remaining effect of social background, however, should be studied further to clarify whether this effect captures other characteristics such as unobserved skills of the children and differences in parental engagement.