Examining Cultural Capital and Student Achievement: Results of A Meta-Analytic Review

Authors

  • Cheng Yong Tan The University of Hong Kong

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v63i2.56285

Keywords:

Student Achievement, Cultural Capital, Family Processes

Abstract

This meta-analysis summarized the relationships between cultural capital and student achievement (155 effect sizes involving 685,393 K-12 students) published in education journals between 1981 and 2015. Results showed a small-to-medium overall mean effect size, and larger individual effect sizes for parental education and parental expectations compared to parent-child cultural participation and discussions. Effect sizes were also larger for older students, reading achievement, and studies published earlier. The results affirm the role of cultural capital in explaining student achievement, and indicate that cultural capital is not a unidimensional construct with unequivocal effects on achievement.

Cette méta-analyse résume les rapports entre le capital culturel et le rendement des élèves (ampleur de l’effet =155 comptant 685 393 élèves K-12) publiés dans des revues pédagogiques entre 1981 et 2015. Les résultats indiquent que globalement, l’ampleur moyenne de l’effet est entre petite et moyenne et que l’ampleur de l’effet individuel est plus grande pour l’éducation des parents et les attentes parentales que pour la participation culturelle et les discussions parent-enfant. L’ampleur de l’effet est également plus importante chez les élèves plus âgés, pour le rendement en lecture et dans les études publiées antérieurement. Les résultats affirment le rôle du capital culturel dans le rendement scolaire et indiquent que le capital culturel n’est pas une construction unidimensionnelle ayant des effets clairs et explicites sur le rendement.

Author Biography

Cheng Yong Tan, The University of Hong Kong

Cheng Yong Tan (PhD) is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. His research interests include socioeconomic status, cultural and social capital, Asian and Western parenting, academic achievement, self-efficacy beliefs, and school leadership.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cheng Yong Tan, Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. Contact: tancy@hku.hk

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Published

2017-08-31

How to Cite

Tan, C. Y. (2017). Examining Cultural Capital and Student Achievement: Results of A Meta-Analytic Review. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 63(2), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v63i2.56285

Issue

Vol. 63 No. 2 (2017): Summer 2017

Section

ARTICLES

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