On the efficiency of school tracking: a perspective from outcomes in dual VET in Switzerland

Joelle Latina,José V Ramirez

doi:10.1186/s12651-017-0233-5

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the efficiency of the sort done by the Swiss lower secondary school tracking system, looking at students’ outcomes in dual vocational education and training (VET)—the most common education type at the upper secondary level in the country. We discuss a simple Ricardian model about the process of school tracking based on the absolute advantage (i.e., the ability) of students in abstract learning, as opposed to contextualised learning which is more decisive in dual VET. The mismatch created by the tracking system for certain types of students is key to explain the relative track effect on outcomes in dual VET. Using administrative panel data for the Canton of Geneva, we estimate a series of zero inflated models. All results support the assumption of a miss-allocation of students to lower secondary school tracks. We thus conclude that the efficiency of the sort related to the tracking system could be improved, were students sorted on the basis of their comparative and not absolute advantage in each form of learning.

Highlights

In Switzerland or in Germany, dual vocational education and training (VET) is the most common type of education at the upper secondary level (OECD 2016)
4.1 Accumulating years of dual VET First, to assess the effect of lower secondary school track on the accumulation of vocational human capital, we estimate a series of zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) models7: one on the whole sample, i.e., without grades and several using the information on grades and PISA scores
Given the non linear setting, we report both marginal effects at the mean (MEM) of all covariates, as well as average marginal effects (AME)

Summary

Introduction

In Switzerland or in Germany, dual vocational education and training (VET) is the most common type of education at the upper secondary level (OECD 2016). A few studies assess the effect of tracks (and grades) on outcomes in dual VET in Switzerland, Hupka-Brunner et al (2010) use a Swiss nationally representative panel (TRansition from Education to Employment, the so-called TREE data) and find that high achievers tend to choose exclusively school based vocational education as opposed to dual VET, a finding consistent with a sort based on abstract learning. Using a subsample of TREE data, Mueller and Wolter (2014) find that among aspiring apprentices, school grades are an important predictive factor when looking at a successful entry into dual VET, and that underachievers are more likely to experience problems, such as dropping out, repeating a year or failing the external exam

Empirical framework

Results

Conclusion