Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/247282 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Citation: 
[Journal:] American Behavioral Scientist [ISSN:] 1552-3381 [Volume:] 65 [Issue:] 11 [Publisher:] Sage Publications [Place:] Thousand Oaks, CA [Year:] 2021 [Pages:] 1555-1576
Publisher: 
Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA
Abstract: 
This article examines the role of effort in the process of educational attainment. First, I analyze the impact of effort on future tertiary educational attainment. Then, I test two sociological theories that argue that effort transmits educational inequality across generations. According to the first theory, parental background shapes the effort that children exert in education-related activities. The second theory argues that the drivers of effort in this context are educational expectations. I use a variable for effort that is measured directly over the course of the Programme for International Student Assessment test. Using a longitudinal data set from Australia, I estimate different hierarchical and structural equations models. I find that the measure of effort is positively and significantly associated with the probability of having obtained a tertiary degree 10 years later. Furthermore, the results show partial support for the second theory but not for the first one.
Subjects: 
persistence
educational attainment
parental background
expectations
educational inequality
Published Version’s DOI: 
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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