Explaining the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students: an analysis of PISA 2009 results for Australia and New Zealand

• Published in: Educational research and evaluation Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 178 - 198
• Main Authors: Song, Steve, Perry, Laura B., McConney, Andrew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.01.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aboriginal students; Academic Achievement; Academic achievement gaps; academic performance; Achievement Gap; Achievement level; Achievement Tests; Australia; Comparative Analysis; Cost Effectiveness; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Differences; Cultural Influences; Education policy; Educational Attainment; Educational Objectives; Educational policy; Educational resources; Employment Level; Environmental Influences; Family environment; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Indigenous Populations; Indigenous students; Institutional Characteristics; International comparisons; Language Usage; Maori students; Minority Group Students; Native peoples; New Zealand; Outcomes of Education; Parents; PISA; Predictor variables; Program for International Student Assessment; Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA); Reading Achievement; Regression (Statistics); Resource Allocation; Schools; Secondary School Students; Standardized Tests; Student Evaluation; New Zealand; Australia
• ISSN: 1380-3611; 1744-4187
• DOI: 10.1080/13803611.2014.892432

This study investigates the relative roles of home and school variables in accounting for achievement gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in Australia and New Zealand. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] 2009, our findings show that achievement gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students are associated with both home and school resources, not only in terms of unequal allocations but also in relation to differences in the rates at which home and school affordances are converted into positive educational outcomes. In both countries, home resources accounted for more of the achievement gap than differences in schooling resources. However, the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students is substantially larger in Australia than in New Zealand, apparently related to greater inequity in the allocation of school resources. We suggest that education policymakers in Australia ensure a more equitable allocation of school resources between Indigenous students and their non-Indigenous peers.