Classroom and School Mechanisms behind Educational Inequality: A Comprehensive Secondary Research Study on Primary Schools of Luxembourg

The purpose of this study was to unveil and examine the impacts of classroom and school mechanisms on educational inequality regarding gender, socioeconomic and linguistic background of primary school students in Luxembourg. This study adopted a two-phased research design, employing a secondary research approach.
Phase I, with the systematic review method, aimed to focus on uncovering classroom and school mechanisms related to educational inequality in terms of differential academic achievement. The findings indicated that classroom mechanisms encompass classroom composition, teacher-related aspects, the socio-physical conditions of classrooms and the implementation of the curriculum. Additionally, multifaceted school mechanisms behind achievement differences include school student composition, socio-physical conditions, school management, school climate, teacher composition, and curriculum and instruction.
Building upon the insights from Phase I, Phase II focused on examining the impact of classroom and school mechanisms, as well as one commune-level proxy variable, on academic achievement and investigating their influence on academic achievement growth within the context of primary schools in Luxembourg.
The results of the cross-sectional study on grade-3 math and German reading comprehension scores emerged insights into mechanisms influencing achievement disparities, highlighting the potential of extra teaching hours for disadvantaged communes in narrowing gaps. High teacher-to-student ratios narrowed gender and socioeconomic gaps in math, focusing only on socioeconomic disparities in German scores. Homogeneous language-based classrooms reduced language-based achievement gaps, while homogeneous socio-economic status compositions amplified these gaps in both subjects.
The panel study on math achievement growth from grade1-to-3 found that classroom composition impacted gender achievement growth gaps. Female students benefited from more female peers, and from higher teacher-to-student ratios. High socioeconomic status advantage intensified in school settings with high teacher-to- student ratio. However, non-Luxembourgish/German speakers showed lower growth in the similar school settings. Additional teaching hours for needy communes had no observed impact.
Ultimately, to address educational inequality in Luxembourgish primary schools, a holistic approach integrating various mechanisms is essential. Insights from this study emphasize the need for a collective effort, where classroom and school dynamics, alongside commune-level factors, function in unison. Only by recognizing the possible impacts of these multifaceted mechanisms, targeted interventions can be devised to create a more equitable educational landscape for all students.