Open AccessFamily Background Characteristics and Student Achievement: Does School Ethos Play a Compensatory Role?
Author(s) -
Joacim Ramberg,
Sara Brolin Låftman,
Emma Fransson,
Bitte Modin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nordic studies in education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.195
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1891-5949
pISSN - 1891-5914
DOI - 10.23865/nse.v41.2999
Subject(s) - ethos , multilevel model , ninth , academic achievement , psychology , affect (linguistics) , developmental psychology , social psychology , political science , physics , communication , machine learning , acoustics , computer science , law
It is a well-known fact that family background characteristics affect school achievement, and according to Swedish law, school should play a compensatory role to outweigh such differences. Previous research has demonstrated that a strong school ethos is associated with higher student achievement, but whether school ethos can play a compensatory role for family background has not been investigated to the same extent. This study examines whether the predictive capacity of students’ family background on school achievement is moderated by school ethos. Data were derived from 9,349 ninth grade students (15–16 years) and 2,176 teachers in 159 school units in Stockholm. Multilevel linear regression analyses showed that family background characteristics, as well as school ethos, were associated with student achievement. School ethos did not, however, moderate the association between family background and school achievement. The results suggest that school ethos does not play a compensatory role, but rather, promotes school achievement for all students alike.