Connecting Parents, Shaping Futures: How Intergenerational Closure Shapes Parental Aspirations in Germany

Intergenerational closure is a crucial factor in the formation of educational inequalities (Coleman, 1988, 1990). Empirical studies provide evidence of positive associations between intergenerational closure and students' competencies, school grades, and retention. Less is known about its impact on parental aspirations that precede the children's educational success within Germany’s stratified school system, where intermediate school tracks may provide a specific context in which closure becomes especially important. Under an extended theoretical perspective from the Wisconsin Model (Sewell et al., 1969, 1970a, 2003) and using data from the National Educational Panel Study Starting Cohort 3 (NEPS Network, 2024) (n = 6,162), we examine whether intergenerational closure is associated with parents’ realistic and idealistic aspirations for their child’s educational attainment. Results from linear probability models indicate that closure significantly increases realistic aspirations among parents with children in the intermediate tracks, but has no effect on idealistic aspirations.