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Social Sciences
Special Issues
Tackling Educational Inequality: Issues and Solutions
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Tackling Educational Inequality: Issues and Solutions

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Stratification and Inequality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 1730

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pallavi Banerjee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8PQ, UK
Interests: inequalities in educational outcomes for children and young people

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In contemporary societies, social inequalities in education remain a persistent issue, profoundly impacting graduate employment outcomes. This Special Issue aims to explore the multifaceted dimensions of how educational disparities, influenced by socioeconomic, racial, and geographic factors, affect the transition from higher education to the labour market. By examining the barriers faced by marginalised groups in accessing quality education and subsequent employment opportunities, we aim to highlight systemic issues and propose potential policy solutions. This Special Issue invites contributions that critically analyse the intersection of educational inequalities and graduate employment, using diverse methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks. The objective is to foster a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that perpetuate social inequalities and to identify strategies that can promote equity in education and employment outcomes.

Dr. Pallavi Banerjee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • educational inequality
  • graduate employment
  • socioeconomic status
  • access to education
  • labour market outcomes
  • marginalised groups
  • policy solutions
  • social mobility
  • intersectionality
  • higher education access

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

40 pages, 474 KiB  
Article
What Are the Statistics That Improve Education?
by Marta Soler-Gallart, Dragana Avramov, Nancy Zoidou Saripapa, Karol Melgarejo, Cristian González López, María Troya Porras, Alba Pistón-Pozo, Esther Oliver, Mimar Ramis-Salas, Javier Díez-Palomar and Garazi Lopez de Aguileta
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(7), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14070425 - 9 Jul 2025
Viewed by 50
Abstract
There is much research on national and international statistical sources on analyses and trends of educational inequalities, which allow for a descriptive and analytical overview of a population’s educational status and trends—such as attainment levels, dropout rates, and sociodemographic variables. There is also [...] Read more.
There is much research on national and international statistical sources on analyses and trends of educational inequalities, which allow for a descriptive and analytical overview of a population’s educational status and trends—such as attainment levels, dropout rates, and sociodemographic variables. There is also research that has identified successful interventions across different countries that contribute to overcoming and reversing educational inequalities. However, the research on whether and how national and international statistical sources provide analyses on how to overcome and reverse educational inequalities remains underexplored. This article contributes to filling this gap by critically examining the available national and international statistical sources used in the educational field to analyze whether and how they include the necessary information for assessing the impact of specific educational interventions that overcome inequalities. Drawing on longitudinal and cohort studies within the European project REVERS-ED, the article highlights the need to move towards research models that incorporate explanatory variables and identify which interventions most effectively improve learning outcomes. Findings show that, despite widespread recognition of successful interventions, their impact is rarely reflected in official statistical systems, thereby limiting access to crucial information for teachers, policymakers, and educational institutions. Unlike disciplines such as medicine, education lacks systematic monitoring of the effects of successful interventions, making it difficult to establish clear correlations between them and learning outcomes. This paper advocates for greater accessibility to evaluative data and a shift towards applied, collaborative research that responds to the real needs of citizens, contributing to a more equitable, inclusive, and effective education system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tackling Educational Inequality: Issues and Solutions)
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17 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Plans, Progression and Post-Compulsory Education: Measuring the Success of a School–University Widening Participation Programme in Ireland
by Eilís Ní Chorcora, Joanne Banks and Aibhín Bray
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14010039 - 14 Jan 2025
Viewed by 910
Abstract
It is widely recognised that addressing inequality in tertiary education is a complex and multifaceted issue. Studies involving students from lower socio-economic backgrounds consistently show that educational disparities exist at the post-secondary education level, with these students’ encountering obstacles in both accessing and [...] Read more.
It is widely recognised that addressing inequality in tertiary education is a complex and multifaceted issue. Studies involving students from lower socio-economic backgrounds consistently show that educational disparities exist at the post-secondary education level, with these students’ encountering obstacles in both accessing and completing tertiary education compared to their wealthier counterparts. Understanding how widening participation interventions may influence young people’s post-compulsory education is an important part of addressing the participation gap. This paper investigates longitudinal data from 227 students in Dublin, Ireland, who were attending post-primary schools located in areas that have low progression to tertiary education. The paper examines the extent to which students’ post-secondary plans, formulated in their final year of secondary school, are realised six months after graduation. The paper continues to examine the influence of external interventions provided by an Irish university’s widening participation (WP) programme on secondary school students’ progression to post-compulsory education. Taking into account contextual factors (e.g., gender, ethnicity, school type, parental education, parental support), this paper examines how WP programmes in secondary school impact post-school progression. Programme engagement (guidance outreach activities) was associated with 4.91-greater odds of post-secondary education once other contextual factors had been controlled for. Participating in mentoring programmes did not have a significant influence on post-secondary progression. Findings in relation to these are discussed, and recommendations for how practitioners and policy makers can approach widening participation outreach programmes with secondary school students are highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tackling Educational Inequality: Issues and Solutions)
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