David Nika has been a Researcher at the DZHW since 2022, where he works on the Student Life Cycle Panel. He studied Social Sciences at Leibniz University Hannover, where he also earned his PhD in Sociology. His research focuses on empirical research in higher education and educational inequality. He examines social inequalities at key transitions within the higher education system, particularly in access to higher education, students' educational trajectories, and the transition from higher education to the labour market. Another major focus of his research is the role of individual resources, especially personality traits, in shaping educational decisions and educational success.
Dr. David Nika
Research Area Educational Careers and Graduate Employment
Researcher
- +49 511 450670-157
Projects
List of projects
Publications
List of publications
5 Übereinstimmungen gefunden /
Making it to and through university against the odds : Zur Rolle von Persönlichkeitseigenschaften bei der Erklärung sozialer Aufwärtsmobilität in den nachschulischen Bildungsentscheidungen von Studienberechtigten.Nika, D. (2026).Making it to and through university against the odds : Zur Rolle von Persönlichkeitseigenschaften bei der Erklärung sozialer Aufwärtsmobilität in den nachschulischen Bildungsentscheidungen von Studienberechtigten. (Dissertation).: Institutionelles Repositorium der Leibniz Universität Hannover. https://doi.org/10.15488/22005 |
„Erfolg entgegen aller Widerstände“ Persönlichkeit als Ressource im Bildungsaufstieg.Nika, D., & Mentges, H. (2026).„Erfolg entgegen aller Widerstände“ Persönlichkeit als Ressource im Bildungsaufstieg. Soziale Welt, 77(2), 97-138. https://doi.org/10.5771/0038-6073-2026-2-97 |
Social origin and the intention to enrol in higher education: personality traits as a mechanism of reproduction or mobility?Nika, D., Grüttner, M., & Buchholz, S. (2025).Social origin and the intention to enrol in higher education: personality traits as a mechanism of reproduction or mobility? Frontiers in Sociology, 10, 1652429. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1652429 |
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social inequalities in international student mobility: A scoping review.Almeida, J., Netz, N., Nika, D., Krzaklewska, E., Aguiar, J., ... & Malet Calvo, D. (2025).The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social inequalities in international student mobility: A scoping review. Comparative Migration Studies, 13(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00436-0 Abstract
This systematic literature review sheds light on social inequalities in students’ access to and experiences of international student mobility (ISM) in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following a scoping approach based on the 2020 PRISMA guidelines, it synthesises 48 empirical studies published in the most intense phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, namely between January 2020 and June 2022. |
Social inequalities at the transition to higher education: the role of personality for graduates from vocational and general schools.Nika, D. (2025).Social inequalities at the transition to higher education: the role of personality for graduates from vocational and general schools. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 2025(17), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-025-00181-9 |
Presentations
