Demographics and Education: The 20 Richest Countries

• In Event: Roundtable Session 112
  In Roundtable Session: The Second Decade of the 21st Century: Moving Forward in the Millennium

Abstract

This paper explores the PISA achievement of twenty countries in light of some of their demographic differences. SES, nuclear family, sex, home language, and native status were predictive of achievement for every country. Demographics accounted for as little as 8 percent to as much as 22 percent of individual score variance depending on the country and subject. Being male was almost a universal advantage in math, but was a far greater disadvantage in reading for every country. The relative performance of some countries changed when scores were adjusted for demographic differences; however, the Asian countries and Finland remained on top. Instructional strategies related to countries performing above expectations were explored.

Authors

• Gregory J. Marchant, Ball State University

• Jessica J. Johnson, Ball State University