Parental Education, Home Resources, Gender, and Academic Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of GCC and Asia-Pacific Students in TIMSS 2023
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| Title: | Parental Education, Home Resources, Gender, and Academic Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of GCC and Asia-Pacific Students in TIMSS 2023 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Khalid ALMamari |
| Source: | Large-scale Assessments in Education. 2026 14. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education Elementary Education Grade 8 Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Achievement Tests, Foreign Countries, Elementary Secondary Education, Mathematics Tests, Mathematics Achievement, International Assessment, Science Achievement, Science Tests, Parent Background, Educational Attainment, Family Environment, Gender Differences, Academic Achievement, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Migration, Predictor Variables, Grade 8, Immigrants, Family Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s40536-026-00279-w |
| ISSN: | 2196-0739 |
| Abstract: | Background: Student achievement is shaped by family background, gender, migration status, and school context, yet little research has compared how these factors operate across distinct world regions. This study examines how parental education, educational resources, study supports, gender, and migration status predict Grade 8 mathematics and science achievement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia-Pacific regions. Methods: Using TIMSS 2023 data from twelve countries--six GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and six Asia-Pacific systems (Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore)--we estimated multilevel models separately for each country following a four-step specification. Models incorporated student gender, immigrant status, parental education, home educational resources, home study supports, and student-level interaction terms. Results: Patterns differed across regions. In the GCC, girls consistently outperformed boys--especially in science--and immigrant students often outscored native-born peers. In Asia-Pacific countries, gender gaps were small and typically domain-specific, and immigrant performance varied. Parental education persisted as a robust predictor of higher achievement across all systems. Greater home educational resources were associated with higher achievement across countries, while study supports benefited students unevenly, with clearer advantages for girls in several GCC systems. Interaction effects indicated that students with both higher parental education and richer home resources experienced the largest achievement advantages. School-level variance was notably higher in GCC countries, reflecting greater stratification. Conclusions: The findings highlight that gender, migration status, and family background do not operate uniformly but are shaped by regional opportunity structures and educational environments. GCC systems may benefit from reducing school-level disparities and strengthening supports for boys' academic engagement, whereas Asia-Pacific systems may prioritize addressing family-level inequalities and immigrant integration. The study provides region-specific insights for promoting equity in diverse educational systems. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508049 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Student achievement is shaped by family background, gender, migration status, and school context, yet little research has compared how these factors operate across distinct world regions. This study examines how parental education, educational resources, study supports, gender, and migration status predict Grade 8 mathematics and science achievement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia-Pacific regions. Methods: Using TIMSS 2023 data from twelve countries--six GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and six Asia-Pacific systems (Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore)--we estimated multilevel models separately for each country following a four-step specification. Models incorporated student gender, immigrant status, parental education, home educational resources, home study supports, and student-level interaction terms. Results: Patterns differed across regions. In the GCC, girls consistently outperformed boys--especially in science--and immigrant students often outscored native-born peers. In Asia-Pacific countries, gender gaps were small and typically domain-specific, and immigrant performance varied. Parental education persisted as a robust predictor of higher achievement across all systems. Greater home educational resources were associated with higher achievement across countries, while study supports benefited students unevenly, with clearer advantages for girls in several GCC systems. Interaction effects indicated that students with both higher parental education and richer home resources experienced the largest achievement advantages. School-level variance was notably higher in GCC countries, reflecting greater stratification. Conclusions: The findings highlight that gender, migration status, and family background do not operate uniformly but are shaped by regional opportunity structures and educational environments. GCC systems may benefit from reducing school-level disparities and strengthening supports for boys' academic engagement, whereas Asia-Pacific systems may prioritize addressing family-level inequalities and immigrant integration. The study provides region-specific insights for promoting equity in diverse educational systems. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2196-0739 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s40536-026-00279-w |
