School Challenges for Disadvantaged Children Linked Less to Personal Traits, More to External Factors

By Lucia Paula , Parent Herald Dec 19, 05:56 am

Photo: (Photo : by Jon Tyson on Unsplash)

New research challenges the belief that disadvantaged students underperform academically due to "character" or mindset. A comprehensive study was published in the Sociology of Education, involving over 240,000 15-year-olds from 74 countries. The study reveals that social and emotional differences don't significantly influence the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge, Zürich, and Tübingen conducted this study. They found that only a maximum of 9% of the achievement gap can be attributed to these factors. This finding is critical. The world focuses on wealth and social status. It predicts academic success.

The Limited Impact of Social-Emotional Skills on Academic Achievement

The research contradicts the popular narrative among education policymakers and practitioners. In the US, social-emotional and character development are seen as a key strategy to bridge the educational divide. For instance, this is the case.

Similarly, a 2015 UK Cabinet Office survey emphasized the importance of social and emotional learning. It's especially important for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. This can break the cycle of generational advantage or disadvantage.

Dr. Rob Gruijters, the study's lead author from the University of Cambridge, emphasizes that social and emotional learning alone cannot resolve educational inequality. He argues that this approach overlooks the real constraints faced by many disadvantaged students. It also risks blaming them for their circumstances.

Nicolas Hübner, Assistant Professor at the University of Tübingen and co-author of the study, echoes this sentiment. He points out that developing social and emotional skills is valuable. However, it does not address the core reason why low-income students struggle academically.

The study's findings suggest these skills are not a magic solution for addressing the socioeconomic achievement gap.

The researchers used data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It covered a vast number of high school students across various countries. They analyzed science test scores and school-relevant socio-emotional skills of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Their findings were consistent across all 74 countries and various academic subjects. While children from wealthier backgrounds generally exhibited slightly higher levels of socio-emotional skills, the impact on the overall achievement gap was minimal. Even if disadvantaged children possessed the same level of socio-emotional skills as their wealthier counterparts, the learning gap would only reduce by a maximum of 9%.

Moving Beyond Mindset to Address Structural Challenges in Education

The study found that both advantaged and disadvantaged children had reasonably high levels of socio-emotional skills. This is interesting. For example, most disadvantaged children agreed with positive statements about themselves during the PISA psychometric assessment.

The authors caution that even the 9% figure might be an overestimation. Socio-emotional skills may reverse the relationship between academic achievement. This is because. Isabel Raabe, a co-author from the University of Zürich, says that poor academic performance might erode self-belief. This is the opposite of the usual belief.

The study concludes by advocating for policies. The policies should focus on the structural reasons for educational disadvantages.

These include disparities in school quality and funding. There's a lack of high-quality preschool options. There's unequal access to extracurricular resources and opportunities.

The findings underscore the need for a more nuanced approach. We need to address educational inequality. This approach should go beyond the oversimplified narrative of mindset and character development.