Cognitive achievement inequality of Filipino public elementary schoolchildren
Date
2009-10
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Abstract
Are the publicly-schooled Filipino children learning? If so, learning what? Also, are there high disparities in cognitive achievement among these schoolchildren? The study tackles these questions by gauging average mastery levels and calculating Gini coefficients based on elementary achievement test scores in Math, Science, English, Filipino and HEKASI*. Decomposition analysis was applied to student sub-groupings by gender and geographic location. This was done to determine whether overall achievement inequality is explained by within-group inequality, that part of overall inequality explained by differences in ability among learners in individual subgroups or between-group inequality, which accounts for differences in average ability between subgroups. It was found that students learn Filipino and HEKASI best. Areas students are having problems with are Science, Math and English. Achievement inequality is low in all subjects and is not problematic. Improving learning outcomes as reflected by increasing achievement test scores is the real challenge. There is a robust correlation between average test scores and achievement inequality in all subjects. Hence, favorable changes in learning outcomes go hand in hand with decreases in achievement inequality, on the average. Within-region and within-province inequalities explain national and regional achievement inequalities respectively. Females slightly outperform males in all regions. There is greater achievement inequality among males than among females. Within-gender inequality accounts for regional achievement disparities. The relationship of cognitive achievement inequality with gross domestic regional product, income inequality, poverty incidence and poverty gap is weak.
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Keywords
Cognitive achievement, Public elementary schoolchildren, Public school, School children cognitive achievement, Achievement inequality