PhD defence Babs Jacobs
Babs Jacobs will defend her PhD thesis on Thursday, 18 September 2025, at 13:00 hours at the Auditorium of the Maastricht University - Minderbroedersberg 4-6, Maastricht
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Rolf van der Velden, Prof. Dr. Tim Huijts
"Key skills for lifelong impact: parental resources, family dynamics, and labour market outcomes"
This thesis investigated the role of key skills in math, language, and reading for success in education and society. It examined how these skills develop in children and the influence of parental resources, including parents’ own key skills, education, and household income. The research showed that children’s early performance in math and reading is strongly linked to parents’ key skills, while the other parental resources become more important during primary school. Examining a major family event, namely parental separation, revealed that separation in the early childhood weakens the association between parents’ and children’s language skills. In adulthood, key skills were associated with positive labour market outcomes, such as employment status, though their influence on contract type was limited. Overall, the thesis highlights that acquiring key skills early in life provides lasting advantages in education and work, with parents playing a crucial role in fostering these skills.
Click here for the full dissertation.
Click here for the live stream.