This study evaluates sibling similarities in field of study choices after secondary education in the Netherlands. Based on social learning theory, it was argued that younger siblings follow their older sibling’s field of study choices. This is more likely to occur when siblings differ more in age, older siblings are higher educated or when siblings are of the same sex. Data from the fifth wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in the Netherlands were used. We analyzed 4556 children in 2923 families using conditional logit models. Congruent with the social learning theory, younger siblings follow their older sibling’s fields of study, especially when they are of the same sex. There is no evidence that sibling similarities are dependent on differences in age or education level of the older sibling. They are also present irrespective of parental influence and independent of the specific field chosen by the older sibling. Siblings are therefore – next to parents – an important aspect of the home environment that shapes field of study choices.

这项研究评估了荷兰接受中等教育后在学习选择领域中的同级相似性。基于社会学习理论，有人认为年轻的兄弟姐妹会遵循他们年长的兄弟姐妹的学习选择领域。当兄弟姐妹的年龄差异更大，兄弟姐妹的文化程度较高或兄弟姐妹的性别相同时，这种情况更有可能发生。使用了来自荷兰的第五次移民儿童纵向调查的数据。我们使用条件对数模型分析了2923个家庭中的4556名儿童。与社会学习理论一致，年幼的兄弟姐妹遵循年长的兄弟姐妹的研究领域，尤其是当他们是同性时。没有证据表明兄弟姐妹的相似性取决于年龄较大的兄弟姐妹的年龄或受教育程度的差异。他们的存在也不受父母的影响，并且与年长的兄弟姐妹选择的特定领域无关。因此，兄弟姐妹–在父母旁边–是家庭环境中影响学习选择领域的重要方面。