Against all odds—Factors explaining unexpected educational advancement of students from educationally disadvantaged families

Abstract In the course of educational expansion the absolute educational opportunities of children from educationally disadvantaged families have gradually equalized. Nevertheless, the probability of significantly surpassing their parents’ educational level and thus bridging a large social-structural distance remains low for children from disadvantaged social classes. This work examines this “unexpected” educational advancement, i.e. intergenerational educational upward mobility over at least two educational degrees, of students whose parents possess no or at most the lowest secondary school degree focusing on school allocation in Germany. Combining a resource theoretical approach grounded in rational choice theory with insights from life course research, we ask which factors support children in achieving significantly higher school degrees than their parents (i.e. a school-leaving qualification that spans at least two educational levels). Hence, in view of a scarcity of resources of less advantaged students the current study asks which institutional (school), social (networks) and individual factors (personality traits) beyond the family generate academic resilience and thus enable these students to achieve unexpected upward mobility against all odds. For our analysis we use data from the German “LifE” study (1979–2024), a longitudinal life course and multigenerational study comprising data for individuals from age 12 to 57 and their parents and children. Results based on classic cross-tabulated mobility descriptives and stepwise logistic regressions show that a significant proportion of students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds (26.8%) achieve academic advancement that contradicts expectations. Attending high school creates an expected path dependency, which significantly predetermines the path to the Abitur, the highest German school leaving certificate providing admission to university. However, the students personal traits (intelligence, self-perceived aptitude) prove robust factors in the explanation of their unexpected educational success, helping them overcome a parental home situation that lacks education and other resources. For students without affiliation to a Gymnasium , however, grades and gender are more important than for students at a Gymnasium .