Inequality in academic achievements reflects not only differences in terms of students’ effort, skills, or resilience, but also systematic obstacles some (groups of) students face because of their social background. Systematic achievement gaps may lead to reproduction of existing social inequalities.
Research on educational inequality has a high policy relevance, given the emphasis on access to quality and inclusive education expressed in the European Pillar of Social Rights. Efforts to improve equity and inclusion in education and training are a strategic concern in the context of the European Education Area.
Reducing educational inequality is also a precondition for addressing European Union priorities, as all citizens have to be equally prepared (in terms of a relevant skill set) for the challenges brought about by the green and digital transitions (A European Green Deal, A Europe fit for the digital age), and the spread of various forms of cyberattacks and disinformation (A new push for European democracy).
An important dimension of educational inequality refers to systematic differences in learning outcomes between students from more and less advantaged backgrounds. The JRC has studied the effect of students’ socioeconomic background on their:
- Risk of underachievement
- International students’ mobility
- Digital skills, including computational thinking
- Non-cognitive skills, such as conscientiousness, motivation, or ambition
Publications
Karpiński, Z., Biagi, F., and G. Di Pietro, G. Computational thinking, socioeconomic gaps, and policy implications. IEA Compass: Briefs in Education No. 12. 2021. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: IEA.
Karpiński, Z., Di Pietro, G., and Biagi, F. Non-cognitive skills and social gaps in digital skills: Evidence from ICILS 2018, Learning and Individual Differences. 2023; 102: 102254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102254
