Routledge eBooks· 2025· Book chapter
Relationships between Gender, ESCS, and Wellbeing with Student Performance in Southeast Asian Countries
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- 2025year
Short summary
Student performance in Southeast Asia is complexly linked to gender, ESCS, and wellbeing, with Singapore leading globally in math, reading, and science, while girls outperform boys in reading and ESCS remains a strong predictor of achievement across countries like Cambodia and Brunei which show resilience.
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Key points
- Singapore leads Southeast Asia and the world in PISA 2022 mathematics, reading, and science scores.
- Girls outperform boys in reading across most Southeast Asian countries, while gender gaps in math and science vary by nation.
- Economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS) is a significant predictor of student achievement, with varying degrees of influence and equity across countries.
- Student wellbeing, specifically a sense of safety and belonging, is positively associated with academic performance.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This chapter compares the relationships between gender, ESCS, and wellbeing with student performance in eight Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) based on Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results. Mplus was used to investigate a multi-group structural equation model devised for this study. The results reveal a complex interplay between student performance, gender, economic, index of economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS), and wellbeing. While Singapore continues to lead globally in mathematics, reading, and science, other countries exhibit varied performance trends, with some, like Cambodia and Brunei, showing resilience or improvement despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions. Gender disparities are evident across subjects, with girls doing better than boys in reading, while mathematics and science gaps vary by country. ESCS remains a strong predictor of student achievement, but the magnitude of its influence differs, with some nations demonstrating greater equity despite economic disparities. Additionally, student wellbeing – particularly a sense of safety and belonging – correlates positively with academic performance, emphasising the role of supportive learning environments. These findings underscore the need for targeted policy interventions, including literacy support for boys, equitable access to quality education, and initiatives promoting student wellbeing. The success of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brunei highlights the potential for strategic education reforms to drive progress. Since education-related challenges and strengths vary from country to country, context-specific approaches are essential. Future research should explore longitudinal data so that the causal relationships shaping student outcomes in Southeast Asia’s diverse education landscape are better understood.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Routledge eBooks, 2025 · DOI ↗
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Field: Education
EducationSocial Sciences