The Evolution of Inequality of Educational Opportunities: A Systematic Review of Analyses of the Spanish Case

Abstract

This article reviews in a systematic way the research of the evolution of
Inequality of Educational Opportunities (IEO) in Spain undertaken to date.
To accomplish this objective, Spanish studies are compared to
international ones, both in methodological and substantive terms. Three
characteristics have been observed in the existing research of the
Spanish case: 1) methodological heterogeneity; 2) lack of agreement
about the evolution of IEO, even with the same data; 3) deficit of
theoretical and analytical explanations of tendencies. Finally, this article
calls for more research of IEO in Spain that, on the one hand, is linked
with international debates and, on the other hand, aims not only at
describing tendencies but also at explaining them.