Primary and secondary effects of social background across secondary education: Decomposing effects at three educational transitions

Abstract

Secondary education is characterised by a sequence of transitions that are linked to educational inequality. Regarding social background effects, inequalities relate to disparities in educational achievement (primary effects) and educational decisions (secondary effects). In the present study, both primary and secondary effects are analysed based on an entire student cohort in the Hamburg school system (KESS study) across the course of secondary education, i.e. from entering secondary school to aiming for higher education. The KHB method is applied in order to decompose the effects, including transitions to upper secondary education. In line with previous research, total social background effects decrease across educational trajectories. No clear pattern emerges concerning an assumed increase in the relative importance of secondary effects. Primary effects operationalised by school grades are slightly predominant in the transition to lower secondary education, and nearly the same ratio is found for the transition to upper secondary education. However, regarding the aim to enter higher education, the relative importance of secondary effects is more clearly discernible.