School segregation and self-fulfilling prophecies as determinants of academic achievement in Flanders
Year: 2013
Type: book-chapter
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study aims to promote a preventive policy to reduce school dropout by providing insights on the determinants of academic achievement, as students’ previous academic performance is a crucial antecedent of school dropout. Our central research question is whether and how school segregation and self-fulfilling prophecies (teacher expectations and student expectations) are related to academic achievement. First, we examine whether school composition is related to teacher expectations. Second, we investigate whether the impact of school composition on pupils’ academic achievement is mediated by teacher expectations. Data from a survey of 2,845 pupils and 706 teachers in 68 Flemish primary schools are analysed. The multilevel analysis shows that teachers’ teachability expectations are lower in schools with a high share of non-native and working class pupils, and that these teachability expectations have an indirect impact on pupils’ achievement, through pupils’ feelings of academic futility. Implications for educational policy are discussed.
Source: Lirias
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2325858139