Will the gap ever be bridged?

Periodical
Genus
Volume
79
Year
2023
Issue number
1
Page range
1-26
Relates to study/studies
PISA 2012
PISA 2015
PISA 2018

Will the gap ever be bridged?

 A cross-national comparison of non-native students' educational achievements

Abstract

A crucial element in evaluating the success of immigrant integration policies is to compare the school performances of immigrant students with that of natives. According to large-scale international assessments, immigrant students tend to underperform their native peers even after controlling for socioeconomic conditions, with relevant differences depending on countries' migration histories. This article analyses the evolution in the skills gap between native students and students with an immigrant background by comparing traditional (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) and new immigration countries (Italy and Spain) using data collected from the Program for International Student Assessment survey from 2009 to 2018. We model students' learning outcomes in mathematics and reading in a multilevel setting by clustering students at the high school level. This approach allows us to compare countries' relative performances concerning the immigrant integration process by accounting for the role played by high schools and students' backgrounds. Results show that the differences between native and immigrant students in both sets of countries are narrowing but still present.