dr. Gil Keppens

Bio

I am an Assistant Professor at Tilburg University's Department of Sociology and the Tilburg Center of the Learning Sciences. I earned my master's degree in sociology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium and completed my Ph.D. in Sociology at the TOR research group in September 2012, focusing on school disengagement among youth with attendance issues.

I focus my research on student learning, specifically examining issues related to school engagement, dropout rates, absenteeism, and educational inequality. I also hold a role on the executive board of the International Network for School Attendance, leading the scientific committee defining global absenteeism research priorities.

My work has been published in respected journals such as Youth & Society, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Journal of School Psychology, and Learning and Instruction

Vakken

• Ma Sem. SOC: From Theory to Res. Fall
• Ma Sem. SOC: From Theory to Res. Spring
• Research Project PM Sociology Spring
• Sociology of Education

Recente publicaties

1. Embracing change - From recalibration to radical overhaul for the fie…

   Heyne, D., Gentle-Genitty, C., Melvin, G., Keppens, G., O'Toole, C., & McKay-Brown, L. (2024). Embracing change: From recalibration to radical overhaul for the field of school attendance. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1-15. Article 1251223.

2. First-generation college students’ motives to start university educat…

   Keppens, G., Boone, S., Consuegra, E., Laurijssen, I., Spruyt, B., & van Droogenbroeck, F. (2023). First-generation college students’ motives to start university education: An investment in self- development, one’s economic prospects or to become a role model? Young, 31(2), 142-160.

3. School absenteeism and academic achievement - Does the timing of the …

   Keppens, G. (2023). School absenteeism and academic achievement: Does the timing of the absence matter? Learning and Instruction, 86, Article 101769.

4. Socio-demographic profiles and academic outcomes for participants of …

   Keppens, G. (2023). Socio-demographic profiles and academic outcomes for participants of the ‘school strikers for climate’ in Belgium. Environmental Education Research. Advance online publication.

5. Who is absent from school when? An optimal matching analysis of withi…

   GIL, ANTOINE. KEPPENS. (2022). Who is absent from school when? An optimal matching analysis of within-year variation in the timing of school absences. Journal of School Psychology.