Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students Who Are Academically Successful: Examining Academic Resilience Cross-Nationally

On July 8, 2015, the American Institutes for Research hosted a presentation and discussion that looked at research on academic resilience using data from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Academically resilient students are students from disadvantaged backgrounds who succeed in school despite the odds against them. The study examines the prevalence of academic resilience cross-nationally and examines the factors associated with academic resilience within each country.

The webinar addressed several questions about academically resilient eighth-graders in the United States and 27 other TIMSS-participating countries, including:

  • How prevalent are academically resilient students, and does prevalence relate to the size of the socioeconomically disadvantaged population and how well countries perform in mathematics overall?
  • Do student factors, such as valuing mathematics or having aspirations for a graduate degree, increase the odds of socioeconomically disadvantaged students being academically resilient? How do the odds vary across countries?
  • Do school factors, such as having a high emphasis on academic success or being safe and orderly, increase the odds of socioeconomically disadvantaged students being academically resilient? How do the odds vary across countries?

If educators, policy-makers and others can understand what factors may have contributed to disadvantaged students succeeding against the odds, then they may be better able to support similar students in improving their academic performance.

Panelists

Ebru Erberber, Senior Researcher, AIR

Maria Stephens, Senior Researcher, AIR

Discussant: Sean McComb, 2014 National Teacher of the Year

Moderator: Stephen Provasnik, TIMSS U.S. National Research Coordinator, International Activities Program at the U.S. Department of Education

 

About the RISE Webinar Series

RISE logoThe Research on International Studies in Education (RISE) Webinar Series showcases research using data from international studies and promotes sharing and discussion about how data-based evidence can be used for improving educational outcomes. The RISE Webinar Series is organized by AIR. To receive emails about RISE and invitations to upcoming webinars, please email RISE@air.org.