The relative age effect in secondary schools

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigates the Relative Age Effect (RAE) on academic achievements in inclusive secondary schooling in mainstream pupils (n = 2696) and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (n = 299). The RAE is based on the assumption that increased age also predicts maturity and performance, with relatively older children and adolescents being at an advantage. However, different to previous research using months per year for relative age, the current study uses differences in years per school class. Four chronological age (CA) groups could be identified in one school year, ranging from age 10–15. Younger pupils in class were at an advantage and showed better performance than older pupils (reverse RAE): Multiple ordinal logistic regression (MOLR) showed that the likelihood of belonging to the younger or older adolescents in class (RAE) could be predicted by school grades. Excellent mathematics marks predicted belonging to younger pupils, while low language grades predicted belonging to older pupils in class. In pupils with SEND, grades predicted age group in either direction independently of the school subject. Parental years in education (CASMIN) and migration background were both associated with CA groups but not with each other: Younger pupils were more likely to have parents with longer education and less likely to have a migration background, while for older pupils the opposite was true. Path models revealed that while the RAE and migrant background were negatively associated with school performance, parent education was more important for competencies than for school grades.