Cognitive skills inequality and academic achievement in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia: Evidence from PISA 2018

• Main Authors: Bulan, Kate Joana Dagle, Lim, Nicole Huggins King, Medenilla, Chenelle Audrey Mendoza, Pimentel, Hannah Gwynneth Yu
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Educational equalization; Academic achievement—Testing; Education; Inequality and Stratification
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_econ/43; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1060&context=etdb_econ
• Institution: De La Salle University

Roemer’s theory suggests that inequality compensation focuses on unfair inequality which is due to circumstances not controlled by the individual, and fair inequality, which is due to controllable effort or volition, must not be compensated. We decompose unfair inequality from the existing achievement inequality in the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia using the generalized entropy method, and recommend priority socio-economic circumstances for compensation. Using PISA 2018, we focus on the achievement inequality in reading because it is the core cognitive skill needed in learning higher technical skills in post secondary education. Our findings show that gender, parental education, number of books at home, type of institution, ability, and attitudes to schooling are all significant in explaining PISA test scores. Furthermore, for the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, highest unfair inequality resides in students with different levels of number of books at home and parental education.