Children's School Placement in Germany: Does Kindergarten Attendance Matter?

29 Pages Posted: 16 Apr 2003

See all articles by C. Katharina Spiess

C. Katharina Spiess

Federal Institute for Population Research; Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Felix Büchel

Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Gert G. Wagner

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin); Berlin University of Technology; German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP)

Date Written: February 2003

Abstract

The positive effects of early childhood programs on children's school success have been demonstrated in the literature. However, most studies were completed in the U.S.A., where early childhood programs vary widely, based on differing auspice, regulation, cost, and other factors. In European countries, early childhood programs are generally far more homogenous. This is particularly true for Germany where most programs are community-based Kindergartens operated under similar structural conditions. In this study we examine the relationship between Kindergarten attendance and the 7th grade school placement of children in West Germany, differentiating associations for the children of German citizens as compared to those of immigrants. Using information from a representative population sample, the German-Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), different models were estimated. The results indicate that there is no significant correlation between Kindergarten attendance of children of German citizens and children's later school placement. However, for children in immigrant households the reverse is true: later school placement is significantly associated with Kindergarten attendance prior to school enrollment. Additionally, the analysis shows that controlling for Kindergarten attendance changes the level of significance for other well-known "school attainment determinants," such as fathers' education and household income.

Keywords: Kindergarten, School Placement, Immigrants

JEL Classification: I21, I28

Suggested Citation

Spiess, C. Katharina and Büchel, Felix and Wagner, Gert G., Children's School Placement in Germany: Does Kindergarten Attendance Matter? (February 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=389344 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.389344

C. Katharina Spiess (Contact Author)

Federal Institute for Population Research ( email )

Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 4
Wiesbaden, Hessia 65185
Germany

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Saarstr. 21
Jakob Welder-Weg 4
Mainz, 55122
Germany

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Felix Büchel

Max Planck Institute for Human Development ( email )

Lentzeallee 94
D-14195 Berlin, 14195
Germany
+49 30 8240 6427 (Phone)
+49 30 8249 939 (Fax)

Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Gert G. Wagner

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

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Berlin, 10117
Germany
+49 30 8 978 9290 (Phone)
+49 30 8 978 9200 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.diw.de/programme/jsp/MA.jsp?language=en&uid=gwagner

Berlin University of Technology ( email )

Straße des 17
Berlin, 10623
Germany
+30 8 978 9283 (Phone)

German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) ( email )

DIW Berlin
10108 Berlin, Berlin
Germany
+49 30 8978 9290 (Phone)
+49 30 8978 9109 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.diw/en/soep

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