Personal profile
Research
I study the consequences and reproduction of social inequality in education. The goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms through which inequalities in families’ socioeconomic resources translate into inequalities in parenting practices, children’s school experiences, and educational outcomes. My work can be categorized into three research agendas: (1) What roles do families and schools play in the reproduction of inequality in education? (2) How does the social environment mediate and condition genetic effects on educational outcomes? (3) How does the interplay between social inequality and microbiota affect the reproduction of social inequality in education? Rooted in Sociology, my research draws on theories and methods from Genetics, Economics, Psychology, and Microbial Ecology, offering a truly interdisciplinary and innovative approach to the study of inequality and stratification.
Empirically, I use quantitative methods for causal analysis and large-scale data sets such as Danish register data, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Children and Young Adults, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and the Danish Longitudinal Survey of Children.
I earned my Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Copenhagen in 2018. Between 2018 and 2020 I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan, funded by an International Postdoc grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark. Between 2020 and 2025, I held a position as Assistant Professor in Social Studies at Roskilde University, at the Department of Social Science and Business.
Collaborations and research areas
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Does statistical discrimination explain grading bias? Evidence from a natural experiment
Breinholt, A., Hjorth-Trolle, A. & Henriksen, M. B., 28 Mar 2026, In: European Sociological Review. Latest article, 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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Nested ecologies of childhood: A microbial turn in developmental theory
Millei, Z., Lee, N., Alminde, S., Breinholt, A., Grönroos, M., Hohti, R., Keto, S., Roslund, M., Spyrou, S., Tammi, T., Warming, H. & Ferreira, J. M., 12 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Childhood, Education & Society. 7, 1, p. 223–235 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile16 Downloads (Pure) -
Child Ecologies in a Microbial World: A New Imperative for Childhood Studies
Millei, Z., Lee, N., Spyrou, S., Roslund, M., Breinholt, A., Tammi, T., Conklin, B., Alminde, S., Warming, H. & Hohti, R. A., 12 Sept 2025, In: Journal of Childhood Studies. 50, 1, p. 34-52 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile44 Downloads (Pure) -
Do parents’ socioeconomic resources moderate the association between genotype and cognitive skills among children with diverse genetic ancestries?
Breinholt, A., Ware, E. B., Fomby, P., Notterman, D., Schneper, L. & Mitchell, C., 11 Apr 2025, In: Longitudinal and Life Course Studies. 16, 2, p. 199-227 29 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Student engagement: Potentials of the flipped classroom approach
Alminde, S., Breinholt, A., Claßen, J., Jakobsen, L. J. & Herzog, S. D., 15 May 2025, In: Dansk Universitetspædagogisk Tidsskrift. 20, 38, p. 138-153 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile59 Downloads (Pure)
Projects
- 1 Active
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SOCGEN: Social Mechanisms of Genetic Effects on Education
Breinholt, A. (Project manager)
01/04/2025 → 31/03/2027
Project: Research
Activities
- 1 Other
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Child-Driven Parenting: Differential Early Childhood Investment by Offspring Genotype
Breinholt, A. (Participant) & Conley, D. (Participant)
14 Dec 2020Activity: Other
Press/Media
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400.000 skolebørn bedømt forskelligt for samme præstation
08/05/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Nogle lærere giver bestemte elevgrupper lavere karakterer
08/05/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media