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Construct Validity of the PISA 2006 Index of Economic, Social and Cultural Status

Results from the latest wave of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 indicate a clear association of individual-level socioeconomic characteristics with science achievement. While findings of the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on scholastic achievement are neither novel nor surprising, there are some concerns among researchers and policymakers that the measure used in PISA may not be appropriate in some jurisdictions. In an attempt to develop an index that “works” across 57 disparate jurisdictions, the PISA measure combines data from a multitude of variables capturing various aspects of occupation, education, and income.

While the theoretical model behind the PISA socioeconomic index is well established, the assumption that occupation, education, and income work similarly across jurisdiction remains questionable. For example, the highest level of education among a single-parent household may have very different cultural implications in one jurisdiction versus another, resulting in an index that may be valid across all PISA jurisdictions, but that has poor validity at the individual jurisdiction level.

This presentation examines the construct validity of the PISA 2006 index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) by focusing on a subset of jurisdictions with varying level of economic development. Using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the authors test an alternative model of socioeconomic status in which its components are allowed to vary across countries. Implications for PISA are discussed.

Citation:

Townsend, M., and Baldi, S. (2009). The International Comparability of Socioeconomic Measures in PISA 2006. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA, April 2009.

Click here to access the presentation [PDF | PowerPoint]