Child’s age at migration, high school course-taking and higher education

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2023-12, Vol.155, p.107188, Article 107188
• Main Authors: Gorodzeisky, Anastasia, Feniger, Yariv, Ayalon, Hanna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age at migration; High school course-taking; Higher education attainment; Immigrant students; Israel
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107188

•The effects of child age at migration on educational achievement were tested with a comprehensive dataset from Israel.•The ‘critical age’ hypothesis was not supported by the analysis.•Children who were older at migration and thus arrived closer to the stage when curricular differentiation begins in lower secondary education had higher chances of enrolling in less prestigious educational programs.•Age at migration was not related to the chances of attaining an academic degree. The study examined the effect of child age at migration on high school course-taking and higher education attainment, focusing on Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants who arrived in Israel at primary-school age. Based on a representative Israeli national sample, combining data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Education, and higher education institutions, we applied multinomial regression models. The data did not support the ‘critical age’ hypothesis, according to which the educational outcomes of immigrant children start to decrease after a distinct age at migration when the ability to learn a new language begins to shrink. However, children who were older at migration and thus arrived closer to the stage when curricular differentiation begins in lower secondary education had higher chances of enrolling in less prestigious educational programs. Age at migration was not related to the chances of attaining an academic degree.