Addressing socioeconomic achievement gaps through intercultural capital: A study of the Philippines based on the 2018 PISA dataset

Abstract

The socioeconomic achievement gap refers to the unequal academic achievement among students from families with varying socioeconomic status (SES). While the relationship between family SES and academic achievement is well-established, ongoing debates persist regarding whether the aggregated SES of the student body, known as school SES, independently correlates with academic achievement beyond family SES. Bourdieu’s (1986) concept of cultural capital is traditionally employed to analyze the socioeconomic achievement gap. However, criticisms have emerged regarding the need to update the cultural capital concept to better reflect advantages in a global education context. This study addresses these concerns by evolving the concept of cultural capital into intercultural capital, offering a more nuanced perspective to capture the complexities that shape the academic achievement gap. Intercultural capital is measured through (1) embodied intercultural capital at the student level, such as respect and global mindset, and (2) institutionalized intercultural capital at the school level, such as intercultural policy and intercultural practice. Utilizing data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, this study examines the interplay among family SES, school SES, embodied intercultural capital, institutionalized intercultural capital, and English reading achievement with particular reference to Filipino students. The results show that both family SES and school SES contribute to English reading achievement. However, when evaluated concurrently in the model, the impact of family SES is reduced, suggesting that school SES serves as a more significant predictor. Embodied intercultural capital account for about 16% of the variance in English reading achievement, while institutionalized intercultural capital accounts for about 56%. In addition, institutionalized intercultural capital moderates the relationship between family SES and English reading achievement, indicating that the association between institutionalized intercultural capital and English reading achievement is not universal but conditional. Students from lower family SES still benefit from intercultural policy in overcoming structural barriers.