Intergenerational Mobility in Education in Greece: An Exploration into Socioeconomic Determinants of Students’ Performance

Education plays a central role in social mobility. Using data from the OECD’s PISA program, this paper sheds light on: (i) the role of socioeconomic status on the cognitive performance and future plans of Greek high-school students, (ii) intertemporal trends in light of the recent economic crisis and, iii) differences with other countries on the effect of socioeconomic and other drivers on intergenerational educational mobility. We find large and significant associations between student outcomes and educational resources at home, cultural possession at home, parental emotional support and private school attendance. Parental education and occupation effects are also important but differ by domain and between parents. The association between basic socioeconomic characteristics and adolescent educational performance is significant and rather stable before, during, and after the Greek economic crisis, which points to the need to produce a coherent strategy against educational disparities according to the socioeconomic status.