We are thrilled to announce that our abstract, titled ‘Children with a Migration Background in Europe: Trends in the Association Between Preschool Attendance and Educational Achievement (2001–2023)’, has been accepted for presentation at the 11th IEA International Research Conference (IEA IRC). This event will be held from June 25–27, 2025, at the Department of Humanities of Roma Tre University in Rome, Italy.
Our team, comprising Thea Bertnes Strømme (Oslomet), Magdalena Ślusarczyk (Jagiellonian University), Lihong Huang (Oslomet) and Ewa Krzaklewska (Jagiellonian University), has conducted research based on data from international large-scale assessments (PIRLS & TIMSS), analyzing trends in academic achievement among children with and without a migration background across 29 European countries. We examine the impact of preschool attendance, parental education, and gender on 4th-grade students’ performance. Furthermore, to discuss policy implications, we consider policy analysis of educational reforms (realized within STRIDE project), particularly in the area of Early Childhood Education (ECE), that have been implemented over the past 25 years and assess the impact of these interventions on the academic outcomes of children with and without a migration background.
Our findings highlight that children from migrant families, especially those speaking a foreign language at home, are less likely to attend preschool, which correlates with lower reading achievement. Additionally, boys with a migration background are more likely to leave education early compared to girls. While many countries have implemented policies to support migrant students, significant gaps remain, emphasizing the need for comprehensive and inclusive educational reforms.
We look forward to discussing our findings and their implications at the conference. This is an excellent opportunity to engage with fellow researchers to further the conversation on improving educational outcomes for children with a migration background.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights from our research!
