Back to the Features. Investigating the Relationship Between Educational Pathways and Income Using Sequence Analysis and Feature Extraction and Selection Approach

Abstract

This article compares two methods to study the link between educational pathways and income. Sequence analysis provides a holistic view but might fail to identify key trajectory characteristics. A new validation method overcoming this limit is proposed. Feature extraction and selection can directly identify these key characteristics. The conclusion summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of each method and provides guidelines on how to choose a method to study the relationship between a previous trajectory and a later-life outcome.

Keywords

• sequence analysis
• cluster validation
• feature extraction and selection
• income
• educational pathways