Long-term effects of primary schools on non-cognitive outcomes of students at age 17

Educational effectiveness research has always displayed an interest in long-term effects of schools. However, over the past decades only few studies examined such effects. Moreover, investigating non-cognitive outcomes as an effectiveness indicator has been ignored for a long time in the research field. This study addresses both gaps in the research literature by investigating long-term effects of primary schools on non-cognitive outcomes of students at age 17. Moreover, it is investigated which primary school characteristics play a role in this process. The study uses data of the SiBO project, in which a cohort of 6000 Flemish pupils were intensively followed from kindergarten until Grade 7. In 2014, at the age of 17, 65% of the cohort participated in a follow-up study. Cross-classified multilevel models showed significant, but small long-term effects of primary schools on some of the non-cognitive outcomes. Also, some small long-term effects of primary school characteristics were found.