Kesanto-Jokipolvi Heidi, Siipola Mari, Koivuhovi Satu, Pasu Terhi, Seppänen Piia, Rimpelä Arja
Unit of Health Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2025 Jan 13;79(2):110-116. doi: 10.1136/jech-2023-221854.
Lower socioeconomic positions (SEP) and poor academic achievement increase children's risk for mental health problems. The Finnish education system is officially non-selective and unified, but a part of children can be selected into emphasised teaching classes by aptitude tests, which are known to segregate students by SEP and academic achievement. We study here if allocation of students to mainstream and selective classes segregates students by mental health, too.
Students from primary school (6th grade) were followed to lower secondary school (7th grade). The number in selective classes was n=209 and in mainstream classes n=551. Outcomes were depressed mood, anxiety and daily health complaints. Association between class type and the outcomes was analysed by cross-tabulation and logistic regression models. Gender, academic achievement, SEP and previous mental health were independent and confounding/moderating variables.
Students in selective classes had better academic achievement and higher SEP compared with students in mainstream classes. Girls reported poorer mental health than boys. Depressive mood did not vary by class type, but anxiety and daily health complaints were more common among girls in mainstream classes. When academic achievement and background factors were considered, among girls only anxiety was more common in mainstream classes, but among boys, anxiety appeared to be statistically significantly more common in selective classes.
Grouping students by aptitude tests to different classes may select them by mental health, too. Longer follow-up and gender-specific studies would give more reliable answers for education policy makers about student grouping by aptitude test and its effects on segregation.
社会经济地位较低以及学业成绩不佳会增加儿童出现心理健康问题的风险。芬兰的教育体系官方上是非选拔性且统一的，但一部分儿童可通过能力测试被选入重点教学班，而能力测试已知会按社会经济地位和学业成绩对学生进行区分。我们在此研究将学生分配到主流班级和选拔性班级是否也会按心理健康状况对学生进行区分。
对从小学（六年级）升入初中（七年级）的学生进行跟踪研究。选拔性班级的学生人数为n = 209，主流班级的学生人数为n = 551。研究结果包括情绪低落、焦虑和日常健康问题。通过交叉制表和逻辑回归模型分析班级类型与研究结果之间的关联。性别、学业成绩、社会经济地位和既往心理健康状况为独立变量以及混杂/调节变量。
与主流班级的学生相比，选拔性班级的学生学业成绩更好，社会经济地位更高。女孩报告的心理健康状况比男孩差。情绪低落情况不因班级类型而异，但主流班级的女孩中焦虑和日常健康问题更为常见。在考虑学业成绩和背景因素后，仅在女孩中，主流班级的焦虑更为常见，但在男孩中，选拔性班级的焦虑在统计学上似乎更为常见。
通过能力测试将学生分到不同班级可能也会按心理健康状况对他们进行区分。更长时间的随访和针对性别的研究将为教育政策制定者提供更可靠的答案，以了解按能力测试对学生进行分组及其对隔离的影响。
