Educational endeavors: children of immigrants in education in the Netherlands, 1980-2020

Heijden, E.W.A. van der (2024)

Doctoral Thesis

This dissertation examines the educational positions of children of immigrants in the Netherlands from 1980 to 2020. In particular, the influence of migration background and socioeconomic factors on educational positions is studied. Findings reveal substantial progress in education for migrant children overall, especially among the second generation, younger cohorts, and girls with a migrant background, indicating promising upward mobility within the education system for many of these children. The family environment impacts educational outcomes, with socioeconomic background playing a crucial role. Higher parental incomes correlate with higher education levels for children in both the short and long term. Additionally, the living environment affects outcomes such as school dropout rates, especially among boys from migrant backgrounds in larger cities. They are more prone to leaving education prematurely than their female or non-migrant peers. Despite institutional barriers and discrimination within the education system, these children demonstrate an upward trend in education, highlighting the need for further research incorporating discrimination as a factor.

• Migration
• Education
• Immigrant children
• Socio-economic position
• Migration background
• Second generation
• School dropout
• Intergenerational transmission
• Urbanization
• Netherlands

• All authors: Heijden, E.W.A. van der
• Supervisor: Lucassen, L.A.C.J.; Valk, H.A.G. de
• Committee: Schrover, M.L.J.C.; Scholten, P.W.A.; Mesman, J.; Heijden, M.P.C. van der; Bouras, N.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden University Institute for History, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
• Date: 2024-03-21
• Sponsorship: This dissertation is funded by the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and is part of a research project on the life courses of children of immigrants in a comparative perspective by the International Institute of Social History and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (PI’s prof. dr. Leo Lucassen and prof. dr. Helga de Valk)