Socio-economic status and academic performance in higher education:A systematic review

Publication date: Available online 23 November 2019Source: Educational Research ReviewAuthor(s): Carlos Felipe Rodríguez Hernández, Eduardo Cascallar, Eva KyndtAbstractPrevious educational research has extensively investigated the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and academic performance. In higher education, however, this relationship still deserves a comprehensive examination. To attend to this need, a mixed-methods systematic literature review of 42 studies is carried out. In the first part, a summative content analysis is performed to analyze how SES and academic performance are measured. In the second part, a meta-analysis is conducted to determine the effect size of the relationship between SES and academic performance in higher education. Findings suggest that SES is measured through education, occupation, income, home resources, and neighborhood resources. Academic performance in higher education is measured in terms of achievement, competencies, and persistence. Furthermore, the meta-analysis reveals a positive yet weak relationship between SES and academic performance in higher education. Prior academic achievement, university experience, and working status are stronger related to academic performance than SES.
Source: Educational Research Review - Category: Child Development Source Type: research