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Secondary Education Systems and the General Skills of Less- and Intermediate-educated Adults: A Comparison of 18 Countries

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  • Heisig, Jan Paul
  • Solga, Heike

Abstract

We investigate the impact of external differentiation and vocational orientation of (lower and upper) secondary education on country variation in the mean numeracy skills of, and skills gaps between, adults with low and intermediate formal qualifications. We use data on 30- to 44-year-olds in 18 countries from the 2011–12 round of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. We find that higher levels of external differentiation (tracking) amplify skills gaps between less- and intermediate-educated adults. This is mainly due to lower mean skills achievement of less-educated adults. By contrast, greater emphasis on vocational skills in upper-secondary education is positively related to numeracy skills for both less- and intermediate-educated adults. Gains are larger for the less educated, so the gap in numeracy skills tends to fall with the degree of vocational orientation. We discuss implications of our findings for research on educational and labor market inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Heisig, Jan Paul & Solga, Heike, 2015. "Secondary Education Systems and the General Skills of Less- and Intermediate-educated Adults: A Comparison of 18 Countries," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 88(3), pages 202-225.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:190499
    DOI: 10.1177/0038040715588603
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eric A. Hanushek & Guido Schwerdt & Ludger Woessmann & Lei Zhang, 2017. "General Education, Vocational Education, and Labor-Market Outcomes over the Lifecycle," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(1), pages 48-87.
    2. Heisig, Jan Paul, 2015. "Late-career Risks in Changing Welfare States: Comparing Germany and the United States since the 1980s," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 179003, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Holtmann, Anne Christine & Menze, Laura & Solga, Heike, 2017. "Persistent Disadvantages or New Opportunities? The Role of Agency and Structural Constraints for Low-Achieving Adolescents’ School-to-Work Transitions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 46(10), pages 2091-2113.
    2. Alexandra Wicht & Nora Müller & Simone Haasler & Alexandra Nonnenmacher, 2019. "The Interplay between Education, Skills, and Job Quality," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 254-269.
    3. Heisig, Jan Paul & Elbers, Benjamin & Solga, Heike, 2020. "Cross-national differences in social background effects on educational attainment and achievement: absolute vs. relative inequalities and the role of education systems," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 50(2), pages 165-184.
    4. Checchi, Daniele & van de Werfhorst, Herman Gerbert, 2017. "Policies, Skills and Earnings: How Educational Inequality Affects Earnings Inequality," SocArXiv wn3h2, Center for Open Science.
    5. Ehlert, Martin, 2020. "No Future, No Training? Explaining Cross-national Variation in the Effect of Job Tasks On Training Participation [Keine Zukunft, keine Weiterbildung? Zur Erklärung von Länderunterschieden im Effekt," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 72(S1), pages 483-510.
    6. Heisig, Jan Paul & Gesthuizen, Maurice & Solga, Heike, 2019. "Lack of skills or formal qualifications? New evidence on cross-country differences in the labor market disadvantage of less-educated adults," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 83, pages 1-20.

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