14 Transition and development from lower secondary to upper secondary school

Abstract

This chapter introduces the scope and the research program of stage 4 of the German National Educational Panel Study. Stage 4 follows the target persons through secondary education up to their transitions to higher secondary education, vocational education and training, or direct entry into the labor market. From a life-course perspective, this stage allows us to monitor individuals’ educational trajectories in lower secondary education as results of a dynamic interdependence of educational decision-making, different learning environments, and competence development while also paying attention to the educational careers of migrants and returns to education. Following a general introduction, this chapter gives an overview of the general survey program of stage 4 regarding the tests and questionnaires administered to students as well as the questionnaires and interviews administered to their teachers, principals, and parents. Thereafter, the specific research focus of stage 4 on the interrelated development of reading and orthography as well as on the cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors related to these two competencies is outlined. With regard to orthography, stage-specific tests are applied to assess the students’ competency trajectories in this crucial domain. With regard to reading, stage 4 focuses on the development of the students’ reading engagement. A third key aspect of the stage-specific research introduced in this chapter is the quality of instruction.