From Choice to Performance in Secondary Schools: Evidence from a Disadvantaged Setting in Italy

Abstract

This study employs detailed micro-data to uncover the factors influencing secondary school choice and performance and, ultimately, dropout risks within a multidimensional framework. The findings reveal that young people’s choice of a comprehensive secondary school, characterised by a higher dropout rate, is highly influenced by future expectations and family background. Further, teachers’ role, learning methods and technology positively drive performance. Perceived cognitive skills only affect students’ performance given their choice. Besides, an ANOVA analysis assesses that the interaction between cognitive and non-cognitive skills impacts performance. Peer study is pivotal for success in individuals with perceived cognitive difficulties. © 2021, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Economia (Italian Economic Association).

Keywords

Author Keywords

young people non-cognitive skills performance secondary school Choice

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Department of Applied Health and Social Care and Social Work, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Department of Economics and Business & CRENoS, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, SS, Italy, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, WBR, Belgium

Department of Economics and Business & CRENoS, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, SS, Italy

Funding & Acknowledgements

Fondazione di Sardegna

Funding text 1: This study contributes to the developmental project of the Department of Economics and Business - University of Sassari (“Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022”) financed by the Italian Minister of Education. Manuela Pulina and Dimitri Paolini acknowledge the finding provided by “Fondo di Ateneo per la ricerca 2020”. The authors acknowledge the funding by Fondazione di Sardegna “Determinants of human capital accumulation”. They would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Laura Dessantis (for the data collection), Marta Meleddu and Marco Calaresu for their valuable insight.; Funding text 2: This study contributes to the developmental project of the Department of Economics and Business - University of Sassari (“Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022”) financed by the Italian Minister of Education. Manuela Pulina and Dimitri Paolini acknowledge the finding provided by “Fondo di Ateneo per la ricerca 2020”. The authors acknowledge the funding by Fondazione di Sardegna “Determinants of human capital accumulation”. They would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Laura Dessantis (for the data collection), Marta Meleddu and Marco Calaresu for their valuable insight.

Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, MIUR

Funding text 1: This study contributes to the developmental project of the Department of Economics and Business - University of Sassari (“Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022”) financed by the Italian Minister of Education. Manuela Pulina and Dimitri Paolini acknowledge the finding provided by “Fondo di Ateneo per la ricerca 2020”. The authors acknowledge the funding by Fondazione di Sardegna “Determinants of human capital accumulation”. They would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Laura Dessantis (for the data collection), Marta Meleddu and Marco Calaresu for their valuable insight.; Funding text 2: This study contributes to the developmental project of the Department of Economics and Business - University of Sassari (“Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022”) financed by the Italian Minister of Education. Manuela Pulina and Dimitri Paolini acknowledge the finding provided by “Fondo di Ateneo per la ricerca 2020”. The authors acknowledge the funding by Fondazione di Sardegna “Determinants of human capital accumulation”. They would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Laura Dessantis (for the data collection), Marta Meleddu and Marco Calaresu for their valuable insight.

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From Choice to Performance in Secondary Schools: Evidence from a Disadvantaged Setting in Italy

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