A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data

Addressing the gap in cross-cultural understanding of school-based social capital, this study examines its effects on student reading literacy across 14 economies using PISA 2009 data, selected for Parent Questionnaire availability. A two-stage analysis involved country-specific two-level hierarchic...

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Main Authors: Hongqiang Liu, Jan Van Damme, Wim Van Den Noortgate
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-08-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251365699
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author Hongqiang Liu
Jan Van Damme
Wim Van Den Noortgate
author_facet Hongqiang Liu
Jan Van Damme
Wim Van Den Noortgate
author_sort Hongqiang Liu
collection DOAJ
description Addressing the gap in cross-cultural understanding of school-based social capital, this study examines its effects on student reading literacy across 14 economies using PISA 2009 data, selected for Parent Questionnaire availability. A two-stage analysis involved country-specific two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) controlling for demographics, followed by meta-analysis to assess effect heterogeneity and overall patterns for indicators like teacher-student relationships and disciplinary climate. Results show school-based social capital significantly predicts reading achievement beyond demographics, but its net explanatory power (1%–7.8% variance) and the effects of specific predictors vary significantly across countries (heterogeneity p  < .01). While some indicators show generally positive effects, others like parental involvement yield unexpected results in many contexts. Findings underscore the culturally contingent nature of social capital effects, highlighting limitations of universalist frameworks and standardized data, and calling for culturally sensitive policies and research.
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spelling doaj-art-f7b5119e7bf648bd9bc2ecc609d5cbfd2025-08-22T20:03:52ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-08-011510.1177/21582440251365699A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA DataHongqiang Liu0Jan Van Damme1Wim Van Den Noortgate2 Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China Centre for Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, KU Leuven, Belgium Centre for Methodology of Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, BelgiumAddressing the gap in cross-cultural understanding of school-based social capital, this study examines its effects on student reading literacy across 14 economies using PISA 2009 data, selected for Parent Questionnaire availability. A two-stage analysis involved country-specific two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) controlling for demographics, followed by meta-analysis to assess effect heterogeneity and overall patterns for indicators like teacher-student relationships and disciplinary climate. Results show school-based social capital significantly predicts reading achievement beyond demographics, but its net explanatory power (1%–7.8% variance) and the effects of specific predictors vary significantly across countries (heterogeneity p  < .01). While some indicators show generally positive effects, others like parental involvement yield unexpected results in many contexts. Findings underscore the culturally contingent nature of social capital effects, highlighting limitations of universalist frameworks and standardized data, and calling for culturally sensitive policies and research.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251365699
spellingShingle Hongqiang Liu
Jan Van Damme
Wim Van Den Noortgate
A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
SAGE Open
title A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
title_full A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
title_fullStr A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
title_full_unstemmed A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
title_short A Cross-Country Comparison of School-Based Social Capital Effects upon Reading Literacy Based on PISA Data
title_sort cross country comparison of school based social capital effects upon reading literacy based on pisa data
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251365699
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