Project CHAT2TRANSITION
Multilingual AI Assistant to address Social and Migration-Related Inequalities at the Transition from Primary to Secondary School
The project examines the emergence and consequences of educational decisions at the transition from primary to secondary school. It focuses on improving the information available to families and teachers. A multilingual chat assistant for families and a reflection program for teachers aim to reduce social and migration-related inequalities in educational outcomes.
The transition from primary to secondary school is a decisive moment in children’s educational pathways. Research shows that families with limited educational resources or immigrant origins often have less information about the school system and therefore make decisions under greater uncertainty. At the same time, teachers’ expectations can shape grading and school recommendations. These processes reinforce each other and lead to systematic differences in family decision-making by social and migration background, even when children perform equally well in school.
The project develops and tests a twofold intervention: For families, a multilingual chat assistant provides clear and accessible information about educational pathways and supports concrete steps in the decision-making process. For teachers, a training program with a reflection dashboard highlights where evaluations can be improved and introduces practical alternatives for assessment practices.
By combining empowerment for families with reflective practice for teachers, the project adopts an innovative multi-actor approach. The aim is to make educational decisions more informed and, in doing so, possibly reduce social and migration-related inequalities at this crucial educational transition.
Selected Publications:
- Zimmermann, T. (2024). Explaining differences in decision-relevant educational knowledge between parents with and without immigrant background in Germany. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 1-33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100894.
- Becker, B., Gresch, C. & Zimmermann, T. (2023). Are they still aiming high? The development of educational aspirations of lower secondary school students with immigrant backgrounds in Germany. International Migration Review, 1-33 https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183221112404.
- Zimmermann, T. (2020). Social Influence or Rational Choice? Two Models and Their Contribution to Explaining Class Differentials in Student Educational Aspirations. European Sociological Review, 36, 65-81 https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz054.
Funding
