Gil Keppens

Who Supports Populism and What Attracts People to It

In this paper, we engage with the emerging literature that studies the support for populism by means of attitudes among the public at large. More specifically, our paper has two objectives. First, we extend recent research by Akkerman et al. by showing that their measure performs rather well in a context that differs from the one it was originally formulated in. Data from Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, N = 1,577) also demonstrate that the support for populism can be empirically distinguished from feelings of lack of external political efficacy. Second, this is one of the first studies that assess who supports populism and why they do so. We show that populism is embedded in deep feelings of discontent, not only with politics but also with societal life in general. Moreover, we demonstrate that populism is strongest supported by stigmatized groups who face difficulties in finding a positive social identity. In the conclusion, we discuss the implications of our findings.

Religion and Negative Attitudes towards Homosexuals An Analysis of Urban Young People and Their Attitudes towards Homosexuality

Public opinion research has repeatedly shown that religious persons report more prejudice against homosexuality when compared to their non-religious counterparts. This article contributes to a better understanding of this relationship by studying attitudes of youth in two of the three largest cities of Flanders (N: 1907). The ethnic and religious heterogeneous population of these cities allows us to empirically disentangle the relevance of both religious involvement (strong versus weak) and the specific religious conviction with respect to negative attitudes towards homosexuals. This offers us a more detailed view on the exact nature of the relationship between religiosity and the latter attitudes among youth than what has been achieved so far. For both Christian and Muslim believers, we found more negative attitudes towards homosexuality, even after controlling for authoritarianism and a more traditional view on gender roles. Although boys appeared, in general, more negative towards homosexuality than girls, the gender gap amongst young Muslims was twice as large when compared to non-Muslims.

Towards a typology of occasional truancy: an operationalisation study of occasional truancy in secondary education in Flanders

Abstract 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.

Short-term fun or long-term gain: a mixed methods empirical investigation into perceptions of truancy among non-truants in Flanders

The purpose of the present study is to explore non-truanting youngsters’ perceptions of truants and truancy. In-depth qualitative interviews (N: 8) are used to explore inductively the perceptions of truancy among non-truanting pupils in secondary education in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium). We use survey analysis (N: 3314) to assess the prevalence of different attitudes towards truancy and their mutual relationships, the prevalence of truants at school, individual risk factors for truancy, and school context variables. The results reveal two attitudes toward truancy: (1) disapproval of truancy and (2) the appeal of truancy. Factors that increased disapproval of truancy included attachment to school, attachment to parents, belief in school rules and cultural capital. Finding truancy attractive was associated with a lack of attachment to school and the presence of truants in the peer group. In the conclusion we elaborate on the implications of our findings.

Young, Innocent and Sexist? Social Differences in Benevolent and Hostile Sexist Attitudes towards Women amongst Flemish Adolescents

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.

The School as a Socialization Context: Understanding the Influence of School Bonding and an Authoritative School Climate on Class Skipping

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.

If Only They Had a File on Every Pupil: On the Mismatch between Truancy Policy and Practice in Flanders.

Abstract 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.

The development of persistent truant behaviour: an exploratory analysis of adolescents’ perspectives

Abstract 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.

What is it worth? An empirical investigation into attitudes towards education amongst youngsters following secondary education in Flanders

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.