Does Parentocracy Affect Mathematics Achievement? Evidence From Asian Countries in TIMSS 2019

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 9:00 am
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Systems and Outcomes in Educational Settings (Table 2)

Abstract

Parentocracy (Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2016; Brown, 1990) describes the phenomenon that children’s success is dependent on parents’ wealth and wishes rather than efforts and ability of children. Despite higher parental involvement, the concept of parentocracy is understudied in Asian contexts (Kim, 2019). In this study, we examine parentocracy using TIMSS 2019 fourth-grade mathematics achievement data in five Asian countries: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Chinese Taipei. The results supported the concept of parentocracy by showing that students’ mathematic achievement was significantly influenced by SES and parents’ expectations across all five countries. The findings also highlighted that home early literacy activities before school significantly mediated the impact of SES on students’ achievement in some Asian contexts.

Authors

• Hari Jang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University

• Sumin Lim, Hunter College

• Meng Ee Wong, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University