In the ever-evolving landscape of international education assessments, the OECD’s release of the PISA 2022 results on December 5, 2023, sparked extensive analyses across the globe. This evaluation, encompassing 37 OECD member countries and 44 non-member countries and economies, delves into the academic performance of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, and science. While numerous discussions have surfaced regarding Spain’s performance in mathematics, this article aims to shed light on a less-explored aspect of the PISA report.
Volume II of the “PISA 2022 Results Learning During – and From – Disruption” report dedicates a section to family support and its association with mathematics outcomes, titled “Resilience Components: Collaborating with Parents to Support Learning and Well-being.”
Family Support for Students in Spain, Autonomous Communities, and the OECD
The OECD assesses students’ experiences with family support using ten types of interactions between students and their families[1]. Focusing on the four most relevant questions, as depicted in Figure 1, reveals intriguing insights.
Data indicates that 83.7% of OECD students mention that parents or someone in their family shares the main meal with them at least once or twice a week, a percentage that significantly rises to 88.5% for students in Spain. Furthermore, 77.4% of OECD students report their families asking about their day at school at least once or twice a week, statistically comparable to the 76.6% recorded in Spain.
In terms of encouragement to pursue higher education, 50.7% of OECD students state that their families encourage them to continue studies at least once or twice a week, notably lower than Spain’s 55.2%. As PISA targets 15-year-old students, about to complete compulsory education, these findings are crucial as students decide on post-compulsory education, either pursuing the Baccalaureate or Vocational Training (FP Media). Lastly, 69.0% of OECD students mention their families encouraging good grades at least once or twice a week, significantly lower than Spain’s 74.4%. In summary, Spanish students engage more frequently with their families through shared meals and discussions about their studies and school life.
The OECD’s conclusion does not imply that families of lower-performing students do not provide support; instead, it suggests that conversations in such cases may focus more on completing upper secondary education or future educational aspirations. Families of lower-performing students seem to emphasize the importance of finishing upper secondary education to motivate greater effort in studies.
The overall family support index, calculated by the OECD for each member state, is presented in Figure 3. Spain exhibits an index of +0.11, significantly above the OECD average. Interestingly, there is no clear and direct correlation between mathematics outcomes and perceived family support at the country level. For instance, Japan and Estonia perform exceptionally well in mathematics in PISA 2022 despite having a family support index below the OECD average. Conversely, Ireland and Korea, where students feel more familial support, also achieve high math scores. It’s possible that, within each country, students with more family support may indeed demonstrate better mathematics outcomes, a point explored in Figure 5.
Before delving into the detailed analysis, Figure 4 illustrates the family support index in Spain and the OECD by gender, socioeconomic status, and origin. Spanish female students have an index of 0.18, significantly higher than their male counterparts. This trend favoring females is also observed in the OECD average, indicating greater educational engagement between families and their daughters. Additionally, students from advantaged households experience greater family support (a significant difference of 0.25 compared to -0.07 for the less advantaged), both in Spain and the OECD. Moreover, family support is significantly higher among native students compared to immigrants. Ultimately, family support displays significant variations that may further deepen the inequality of opportunities and resources in education faced by students from less privileged households.
Family Support and Educational Performance
Figure 5 explores the association between family support and mathematics results. Interestingly, there is no clear relationship between the overall family support index and mathematics outcomes in PISA 2022, both for Spain and the OECD. For instance, in the OECD, an increase of one unit in this index is associated with a decrease of two points in the student’s mathematics result, accounting for socioeconomic status, but it is not statistically significant. In the case of Spain, this relationship is entirely nonexistent.
The lack of correlation between the overall family support index and mathematics results in PISA 2022 conceals a positive (and significant) association with some questions and a negative (and also significant) association with others. The mathematics performance of students changes by 44 points in Spain (and 28 in the OECD) when students indicate that their families share the main meal with them at least once or twice a week, even after accounting for each student’s socioeconomic status. This positive association is the highest among the ten questions included in the overall family support index. The relationship is also positive and significant concerning families asking students about their day at school at least once a week (19 points in Spain and 16 in the OECD). Encouraging students to achieve good grades is positively and significantly associated with mathematics results in Spain, although this relationship is of lesser intensity (6 points) and does not extend to the entire OECD. Conversely, discussing with students about continuing their studies in upper secondary education (either Baccalaureate or FP Media) is negatively and significantly associated with mathematics results both in Spain and the OECD. As highlighted in the PISA report itself, families of lower-performing students might be more concerned about the possibility of their child not pursuing further studies after compulsory education, whereas most other families take it for granted.
In conclusion, the intricate interplay between family support and educational outcomes, as revealed by the PISA 2022 results, calls for nuanced considerations and emphasizes the need to address various dimensions of family involvement in a student’s educational journey. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for crafting effective policies that enhance educational opportunities and reduce disparities among students.