Does grade retention produce cynical citizens? A cross-national multilevel analysis on the effects of being retained on respect for people of other cultures

We know that grade retention is associated with increased frustration. Hence, it is possible that this impactful experience crystallizes into cynic civic attitudes and less intergroup tolerance. Based on democratic frustration theory, we expect retainees to have less respect for people from other cultures than students who were regularly promoted. Based on comparative reference group theory, moreover, we argue this experience might intensify when there are fewer other retainees around. Therefore, the aforementioned association is contextualized by performing cross-national multilevel analyses on PISA 2018 data (17 countries; 6,010 schools; 122,246 students). Results show that retainees have less respect for people from other cultures than students who were never retained. The negative association was larger in countries with few other retainees, which might be due to social isolation and stigmatization. In contrast to what was expected, however, there was no moderation effect at the school level. Implications are discussed.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Toegankelijkheid:Open