Snakes and Ladders: The Impact of Tracking on the Possibility of Attending Higher Education for Second-Generation Migrants and Native Students in France and Germany

Abstract

Second-generation migrants comprise a large proportion in Europe, but recent research has figured out that their educational achievement has considerable gaps between that of their native-born counterparts. This paper chose France and Germany as examples to compare their educational systems, particularly on the tracking system and its impact on the accessibility of tertiary education for second-generation migrants and native-born students, with the application of Contrast of Context and cultural reproduction theory, then it figures out that the tracking system influences the possibility of entering to the types of higher education institutions to some extent but deserves further research.