Examining the impact of socioeconomic status and COVID-19 on Scientific literacy: A meta-analytic PISA analysis of the 2018 and 2022 cycles

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted academic performance, exacerbating disparities among students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. This study investigates SES´s influence on scientific literacy, essential for societal engagement in an increasingly science-driven world. Using linear models and meta-analytic techniques on 2018 and 2022 PISA data across 34 OECD countries (N = 438,688), results show a positive association between SES and scientific literacy (ß = .26 CI[.22, .28]). Additionally, a notable interaction effect between SES and the PISA cycle highlights potentially exacerbated educational disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic (ß = .06, CI[.03,.08]). The main novelty of the present paper lies in the combined analysis of two cross-sectional datasets from international large-scale assessments (LSA). The results (1) deepen our understanding of educational inequalities and the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) demonstrate a new method to study effects via a quasi-longitudinal analysis of combined cross-sectional LSA datasets, and (3) highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions to address SES-related inequalities in academic literacy.