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Purpose: The rise of online communication possibilities has revived the debate surrounding the impact of media on political participation, especially with respect to young people who are considered prime users of online communication technologies. Against that background this paper examines the relationship between the use of new and old media and institutionalized and non-institutionalized forms of political participation. Design: We rely on data of a representative sample of Flemish young people aged 14-30 (N=2488). Ordinal logistic regression models are used to model (1) institutional political participation and (2) alternative forms of political participation. We not only focus on whether young people used the Internet but also assess differences according to the purpose of Internet use. Findings: Even after taken into account a significant number of background characteristics, different views on politics and other media use, Internet use remains positively related to both conventional and alternative forms of political participation. Internet use for pleasure appears quite strongly associated with alternative political participation, but is not related to conventional political participation. Internet use directed towards gaining information is strongly related to both conventional and alternative forms of political participation by strengthening young people's political efficacy, interest and political competences.

This study contributes to the literature on school-based strategies to prevent and reduce truancy by investigating the relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping. We use data from The Programme for International Student Assessment with 15-year-old pupils (N = 2,539) in secondary education in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, to answer three research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping? (b) Is this relationship mediated by individual school bonding? (c) Does school bonding moderate the relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping? In line with the authoritative school climate model, our results indicate that class skipping occurs less frequently in authoritative schools, irrespective of a pupil's personal background or the school composition. In addition, this study demonstrates that (a) the influence of authoritative socialization at least partly acts through the enhancement of school bonding and (b) the link between school bonding and class skipping is stronger in authoritative schools. In the discussion, we elaborate on the implications of our findings.

Truancy is known to: Hamper academic achievement, predict a range of school-related problems and cause early school leaving. Hence, the development and implementation of measures to tackle truancy are considered as important strategies to prevent early school leaving in Europe. Despite this, there is almost no comparative research which studies variation in truancy rates. This article relies on PISA 2012 data from 24 European countries to empirically answer two questions: (1) To what degree do truancy rates vary cross-nationally? and (2) Do these differences in truancy rates relate to characteristics of the educational system? We found that between-country truancy rates varied more than differences in early school leaving. Moreover, even after taking into account control variables such as economic development and youth unemployment rates, the ways in which educational systems select and group pupils are closely related to truancy rates.

The negative consequences of truancy for individuals, schools, communities and society in the short and long term are well documented. However, empirical research on truancy often takes only the frequency of the absence into account. As a consequence, truancy research has been dominated by the comparison of characteristics of truants with characteristics of non-truants. The purpose of the present study is to provide insight into the conceptual understanding of truancy by exploring different types of truant behaviour. Latent profile analysis was used to examine different types of truancy by using a nationally representative sample of 739 truants (age 14-21) in secondary education in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). Six key indicators were employed to identify latent classes: the duration of the absence, the parental knowledge of the absence, the location of the absence, individual vs. group absence, the time of the decision to go truant and the premeditated nature of the absence. Three classes of truant youth were identified: homestayers, traditional truants, and condoned social truants. In addition, multinomial regression revealed social differences between the three truancy classes. Our findings suggest that truant behaviour consists of interrelated forms of truancy that have specific social characteristics. In the discussion we demonstrate how studying different forms of truants can be important for understanding how truant behaviour can be identified and prevented.

Background: While, an extensive literature reveals the many risk factors associated with truancy, less is known about the way truancy develops, intensifies and persists. In recent years, authors have argued that the development of truancy should not be understood as an individual phenomenon, but as a process of complex interactions between the adolescent and his/her parents, peers, teachers and school staff. There is, however, little research on "how" relationships between these parents, peers, teachers and school staff operate and influence the development of truancy. Purpose: In this paper, we try to fill this gap by analysing the narratives of truanting adolescents, and by investigating their experiences of the onset and persistence of their own truancy. Sample, design and methods: As part of a larger study, 20 adolescents from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, were individually interviewed. Data were analysed qualitatively. Results and conclusions: The stories suggest that what begins as occasional truancy can easily evolve into persistent truancy that eventually could lead to permanent non-attendance. For many of the interviewed pupils, the development of their truancy can best be described as "truant spirals". Compared to the seemingly easy transition towards truanting for the first time, the narratives suggest that it is extremely difficult to curtail the pattern of persistent and intensifying truant behaviour.

This paper argues that whereas the social relevance of attitudes towards education is commonly confined to their direct impact on educational aspirations or attainment, attitudes may also impact on educational success in a way similar to cultural capital. Survey data were used to assess the support for three different attitudes with respect to the perceived value of attending school among youngsters (n = 853) following secondary education in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium). The results revealed substantial differences according to the pupils' cultural capital, time perspective, personal educational experiences and social mobility. These findings are taken as a starting point for a broader discussion about how attention to attitudes may enable us to account for the power struggles in which the educational field and the teaching profession are involved.

During the past years, combating truancy has been high on the political agenda. However, throughout Europe one can observe that despite the numerous action plans and anti-truancy measures, truancy rates continue to rise. In this article, we focus on Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) as a case study to get a better grip on the mismatch between the general truancy policy and the everyday reality of truancy. Based on the analysis of (1) official registration data and 2013 survey data with pupils from grade 9-12 (N = 4189), (2) survey data from 62 principals of Flemish secondary schools and (3) 28 in-depth interviews with occasional and frequent truants, this article argues that the current emphasis on the registration with the aim of (early) detecting and intervening in truancy cases actually results in a disengagement of teachers and schools to deal with truancy in a responsive manner.

Traditional gender beliefs and gender prejudice (sexism) are thought to play a key role in the reproduction of gender inequality. It is known that such traditional gender beliefs are more common among strongly religious people. Europe is facing a growing population of religious, often immigrant youth from Islamic countries such as Turkey and Morocco. Against that background, we investigate how ambivalent sexism is related to adolescents' religious affiliation (being Christian or Muslim), religiosity (how important religion is in one's life), perceived pressure for religious conformity and ethnic background (native, Turkish, Moroccan) by performing multivariate multilevel regression analyses. We rely on data from two independent samples gathered in 2013 and 2018 by the Youth Research Platform among Dutch-speaking boys (N = 1637) and girls (N = 2058) between 14 and 18 years old. The results show the gendered ways in which religion and ambivalent sexism towards women are related. For girls, ambivalent sexism was related to perceived pressure for religious conformity and ethnic background (more group-level aspects). Boys' ambivalent sexism was related to more individual-level aspects such as higher religiosity. No differences were found between Muslim or Christian youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recording, reporting, and use of data on school attendance and absence (DSAA) play a crucial role in understanding attendance and addressing absence in educational systems worldwide. However, a comprehensive grasp of the diverse approaches adopted across and within different countries has remained elusive. To address this knowledge gap, the International Network for School Attendance (INSA) facilitated this special issue providing an in-depth investigation into DSAA practices in 13 countries. This opening paper serves two purposes. First, it lays the conceptual groundwork for readers before they delve into the recording, reporting, and use of DSAA in different countries. Second, it presents key insights that emerge from the diverse array of contributions and a discussion of challenges and opportunities for the field. These include the substantial inconsistencies within and across countries; the pressing need for standardised best practices for recording, reporting, and using data; and the importance of embracing technological advancements to enhance the use of data. We envisage that the collective effort of the 40 authors involved in this special issue will enrich knowledge, enhance collaboration, and create real-world impact by enabling interested parties to develop, use, and evaluate data-driven strategies related to attendance and absence. By working together to address challenges and seize opportunities related to DSAA, we help young people access the education they rightfully deserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades the position of women in Western societies has substantially improved in several domains. However, persistent inequalities remain and gender prejudice is thought to play a key role in this. In this article, we contribute to the literature which holds that in current Western societies, gender prejudice manifests itself in a more ‘benevolent’ form which encompasses subjectively favourable but patronizing attitudes towards women. We investigated the distribution of hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) towards women amongst a large sample of Flemish adolescents (N = 952). We found that while HS towards women is most prevalent amongst boys in technical and vocational education, girls in technical and vocational education also comply with macho culture. Moreover, these less educated girls also display the most BS towards women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]