Existing measures of school diversity models use general (abstract) scales to capture how schools approach ethnic-cultural diversity. We argue that it is important to measure such diversity models in (concrete) domain-specific ways. We first constructed a novel domain-specific scale that asks for teachers' perceptions of practices associated with…

Ethnic discrimination is a serious problem in education. Previous quantitative research is predominately focused on the consequences of ethnic discrimination. Very little is known, however, about the characteristics of the school context that influence the initial experience of ethnic discrimination. This knowledge is essential to support schools…

Despite the massification of higher education, social inequality in higher education outcomes still persists. It is known that secondary schools' socioeconomic composition is at least partly responsible for this social inequality. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which socioeconomic composition affects higher education enrollment are still poorly…

Tackling early leaving from education and training (ELET) is one of the main education policy targets of the European Union and many of its member states. This paper offers new insights on this issue by studying how so-called at-risk students develop their educational trajectory by embedding their attitudes towards and engagement in schooling…

Strain theories expect socio-economically disadvantaged students to be overrepresented among perpetrators of school-deviant behavior. Empirical research, however, is inconclusive about the SES-deviance relationship. Recently, strain theorists argued that economic deprivation, rather than a socio-economic status (SES) index is related to…

In less meritocratic educational systems, teachers' decision-making processes and their perceptions of pupils are essential for the practice of pupils' allocation at transitory moments. The present study investigated how perceptions held by teachers impact upon teacher track recommendations regarding pupils' enrolment in secondary education in…

Track position has an impact on students' perceptions of educational success. These perceptions matter as they relate to educational and professional aspirations and choices. In this ethnographic study, based on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews in three secondary schools in Flanders (northern part of Belgium), we want to…

School belongingness has proven its positive effect on a wide range of outcomes that lead to school success. However, the factors that influence school belongingness received little research attention. Hence, the goal of this study is to explore the impact of ethnic victimization on ethnic minority students' school belongingness. Hereto, we…

The influence of the ethnic composition of schools on interethnic relations and attitudes has been studied extensively and has received ample interest from policy makers. However, less attention has been paid to the structures and processes inside schools that organize interethnic relations and attitudes. In Flanders (Belgium), secondary education…

Past research into the consequences of tracking mainly documented on the impact of attending different tracks on students' achievement and behavior. Less attention has been paid to the impact of track positions on teachers' perceptions and expectations regarding students. By means of multi-level analysis of data of 6,545 students in 46 Flemish…