Between-school tracking provides students with tailored educational pathways but also fosters social comparison. According to the Basking in Reflected Glory Effect (BIRGE), students internalise the social perceptions of their assigned educational track, influencing their self-esteem and subsequent outcomes. Drawing on this framework, this study examined associations among track allocation, students’ self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subsequent occupational attainment using longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Study, which tracked individuals aged 12–15 from 2010 to 2020 (n = 2309). Findings from structural equation modelling showed that cognitive abilities had stronger associations with track placement than socioeconomic status. Students in vocational tracks reported lower self-esteem compared to their academic peers, consistent with the BIRGE. Vocational-track students attained lower occupational status, whilst reporting higher levels of life satisfaction, possibly due to earlier labour market entry. Comparatively, boys attending vocational schools reported lower self-esteem, lower occupational status, and lower life satisfaction, while girls attending vocational schools showed a stronger link between self-esteem and life satisfaction. The results enhance our understanding of the long-term impact of explicit between-school tracking on students’ self-evaluation, psychological well-being, and status attainment in a non-Western context.
Guo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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