Retained for life : a longitudinal multilevel study on the post-secondary educational trajectories of retainees in Flanders

According to the self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997), mastery experiences and successful performance lead to a higher self-efficacy. Grade retention, on the other hand, is often perceived as a sign of academic underperformance, which could render it to trigger risk avoidance behavior. Therefore, based on the self-efficacy theory, it is expected that students who have been retained in secondary education will be less likely to enroll in higher education, while it will also affect their choice of institution (university vs. college of applied sciences). We expect self-efficacy to mediate between grade retention and these outcomes and, thus, to act as a causal mechanism. Studying how the post-secondary educational trajectory of retainees compares to the trajectory of non-retained peers allows to assess the long-term effectiveness of grade retention. At last, the moderating impact of school retention composition is accounted for. This study was conducted in Flanders (Belgium) via longitudinal, multilevel analyses on the International Study of City Youth (ISCY) dataset (1,252 respondents; 30 schools). Results show that being retained decreases the likelihood of higher education enrollment and that retainees are less likely to opt for university. Moreover, impact of grade retention is most detrimental in schools with few other retainees. Implications are discussed.

Jaar van publicatie:2022

Toegankelijkheid:Closed