Project Details
Projekt
The impact of compositional, contextual and institutional school characteristics on health and well-being throughout the educational career
Applicant
Professor Dr. Matthias Richter
Subject Area
Empirical Social Research
Term
from 2014 to 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 263944112
The school environment represents, besides the family, an important socialization context for young people, playing an important role for student academic achievement and psychosocial development. Prior research has shown that compositional, contextual and institutional school characteristics are determinants of student academic performance and self-concept. However, the impact of those features for health and wellbeing has rarely been examined for students in Germany, and particularly not with a longitudinal perspective. Investigating those features is highly required in order to illuminate crucial school-related determinants of health and social disparities in health throughout the educational career within the German school system. The overall aim of the project is to investigate the impact of compositional, contextual and institutional school characteristics for student health and well-being in Germany. The following research questions will be addressed: 1. Are compositional, contextual and institutional school characteristics (independently and additively) associated with student health and well-being? 2. Do compositional, contextual and institutional characteristics differentially impact health and well-being among different resource/SES groups of students, and how? 3. Do compositional, contextual and institutional features as well as school-related events contribute to either consolidation or aggravation effects in relation to health and well-being as well as social disparities in those outcomes during the educational career? The analyses are based on cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Using NEPS data from students, parents, teachers and school principals over a period of five years (2010-2014), the impact of compositional, contextual and institutional characteristics on student health and well-being as well social disparities in those outcomes will be examined during the educational career in secondary education. Using a conservative power calculation, information on approx. 4,000 students (starting cohort 3: grade 5) and approx. 12,000 students (starting cohort 4: grade 9) is available. Descriptive and multivariate statistics as well as longitudinal data and event history analyses will be applied to assess the postulated relationships during the educational career. Based on a clearly specified conceptual model, the proposed project will provide new empirical evidence on the associations between compositional, contextual and institutional school characteristics and student health and well-being within the German school system and will thereby contribute to a better understanding of student health and health inequalities in adolescence.
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