oa Kiezen en verliezen - Een analyse van de keuze na het krijgen van een B-attest in het Vlaams secundair onderwijs als een replicatie van Kloosterman en De Graaf (2009)

To choose and to loose: An analysis of educational choices after receiving a B-certificate in Flemish secondary education as a replication of Kloosterman and De Graaf (2009) .

This study replicates the main findings of a recent Dutch study of Kloosterman and De Graaf (2009) using data from Flanders. We examine the educational choices made after receiving a ‘B-certificate’. This certificate is given to pupils who fail the year in a particular educational track; it forces them to choose between repeating the year, or, going on to the next year in a different educational track. By studying these non-collective moments of choice, we find that students with a weaker social background have more than a double disadvantage compared to their more fortunate peers. First, due to their generally weaker scholastic performance, the receipt of the B-certificate forces them to make educational choices more often. Second, they tend to make less ambitious choices that limit their future educational career. The study concludes with some generalizations.