@article{KretschmannWestphalVock2021,
  author    = {Kretschmann, Julia and Westphal, Andrea and Vock, Miriam},
  title     = {Does it pay to be one of the oldest in class?},
  series = {Learning and instruction : the journal of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction},
  volume    = {74},
  journal   = {Learning and instruction : the journal of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0959-4752},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101463},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Several studies have revealed that older students in a year group reach higher achievement scores than younger students in that group. But less is known about how students' relative age in class relates to their self-perception of academic achievement, their social acceptance in class and to how teachers judge their abilities. Therefore, we examined relative age effects within class on students' academic self-concept, peer relations, grades, and teachers' secondary school recommendation. Analyses were based on a sample of N = 18,956 German fourth graders, who had never been retained or accelerated. We applied multilevel regression to control for covariates at the individual and classroom level. There were no substantial relative age effects within class across any of the outcomes, except for a small advantage for the youngest in their reading self-concept. Our findings therefore contradict the common assumption that younger students in class are disadvantaged compared to their older classmates.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WestphalBeckerVocketal.2016,
  author    = {Westphal, Andrea and Becker, Michael and Vock, Miriam and Maaz, Kai and Neumann, Marko and McElvany, Nele},
  title     = {The link between teacher-assigned grades and classroom socioeconomic composition: The role of classroom behavior, motivation, and teacher characteristics},
  series = {Contemporary educational psychology},
  volume    = {46},
  journal   = {Contemporary educational psychology},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {San Diego},
  issn      = {0361-476X},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.06.004},
  pages     = {218 -- 227},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Teacher judgments in terms of grades, proficiency assessments, and recommending placement in ability groups can have important consequences for a child's future educational path. Whether or not students' sociodemographic background characteristics are systematically related to teacher judgments has been a controversial topic of discussion. Using data from the TIMSS-Transition Study (N = 3285 fourth graders) administered across 13 German federal states in the 2006-2007 school year and survey data from parents and teachers, we investigated whether or not the average classroom socioeconomic status is reflected in teacher judgments and also examined possible underlying processes. We also probed the role of teachers' own socioeconomic backgrounds (at the age of 16) in their later susceptibility to differentially judge students from different socioeconomic backgrounds and in differentially composed classrooms. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for differences in achievement (as indicated by standardized tests), teachers' judgments were associated with the classrooms' socioeconomic composition, and this finding could not be attributed to the average levels of motivation or behavior in the classroom. Teachers were similarly likely to exhibit such differential judgments regardless of their own socioeconomic background. These findings are discussed in the context of their implications for educational policy.},
  language  = {en}
}