Social mobility via education is one of the cornerstones of the Australian democratic state, however, previous research finds evidence of a strong association between parental education and child’s educational achievement and attainment suggesting that social origin plays an integral role in the achievements of successive generations of Australians. Sociologists draw on a range of theoretical perspectives to explain this association including Bourdieu’s cultural and social capital theories. Using data collected by the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth 2009 (LSAY09) project, I examine the associations between student SES, school SES and two outcome variables: PISA score and university enrolment. The results indicate that low SES students attending high SES schools perform better on PISA tests than low SES students attending low SES schools. High SES students attending low SES schools perform less well than their high SES peers attending high SES schools. After controlling for PISA score, low SES students were less likely than their high SES peers to enrol at university.

This seminar is organised in collaboration with the Department of Sociology seminar series.

For details of the Q-Step seminars for the coming term see here.