NEPS-Stage 4 – From Lower to Upper Secondary School

NEPS-Stage 4 deals with pathways through lower secondary level and the subsequent transitions. As the link between elementary school on the one hand and general or vocational upper secondary education (or direct entry into the labor market) on the other, lower secondary level is of decisive importance for individual educational trajectories.

Central research questions

What skills do students acquire during secondary school and how do these influence their further educational pathways?
What is the relationship between the school and classroom context (at mainstream and special schools) and what effects do these learning environments have on the development of young people?
What role do parents, peers and the group of friends play in the school development of students in adolescence?
How do (post-)school transitions take place and what educational decisions do young people make for their future?
How is the individual development of skills required for social participation and participation in the labor market (e.g. civic literacy, digital skills)?

In order to answer the research questions, further stage-specific skills are recorded in addition to the recording of educationally relevant skills and individual educational pathways. After the initial focus of the stage was on recording spelling skills and additional information on supporting factors such as reading behavior and motivation (starting cohorts SC3 and SC4), the current focus is on recording civic literacy in adolescence (starting cohort SC8). Civic literacy encompasses, on the one hand, the knowledge and ability to make informed decisions regarding political and socially relevant issues and, on the other hand, the dispositions to act that are fundamentally necessary for the implementation of the decisions made.

In addition, relevant basic information on school attendance and the progression through lower secondary level is recorded. Other key outcome measures of stage 4 include the students' well-being at school.

The learning environment of the classroom and school are central contexts in secondary school that are given special attention. A central topic is school development measures, which are linked to the educational trajectories and skills achieved by students.