ERIC Number: EJ1143049
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-5692
EISSN: N/A
Ahead of the Pack? Explaining the Unequal Distribution of Scholarships in Germany
Haas, Christina; Van De Werfhorst, Herman
British Journal of Sociology of Education, v38 n5 p705-720 2017
This article investigates to what extent scholarships are unequally distributed among students in Germany and how these inequalities can be explained. Following sociological theory, the article argues that elites seek qualitative ways of distinguishing themselves in a mass higher education system. Using student surveys, we demonstrate that class effects cannot merely be explained with reference to class differences in academic achievement but that higher classes have better access to scholarships independent of earlier school performance. Class differences were particularly persistent when the intermediate classes were compared with higher classes with more education. These findings illustrate that social classes have different strategies when it comes to participating in higher education and suggest that information about and access to scholarships is important in gaining a class advantage.
Descriptors: Social Class, Social Differences, Scholarships, Higher Education, Advantaged, Student Surveys, Student Attitudes, Academic Achievement, Equal Education, Socioeconomic Background, Grade Point Average, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A