Competitive school environments and socioeconomic achievement inequality: A preregistered analysis of data from 69 countries

Background Competitiveness is a core feature of educational systems. We hypothesized that students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds would feel less competent and perform worse in more competitive environments, as these environments conflict with their norms and values. Aims This preregistered study investigated whether school competitiveness widens SES achievement gaps in students’ self-views and academic achievement. Sample The final analytical sample consisted of 315,095 fifteen-year-old students from 10,021 schools across 69 countries. Methods Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 data were analyzed using three-level hierarchical linear models that distinguished between perceived competitiveness (how competitive students perceive their school to be) and peer competitiveness (how competitive peers in school are). Outcomes included self-efficacy, self-perceived ability, mathematics achievement, and reading achievement. Results Contrary to our hypotheses, students from lower SES backgrounds had more positive self-views and performed better in more competitive environments, narrowing achievement gaps. While these interactions were statistically significant, effects sizes were small. Conclusions Competitive school environments do not necessarily widen SES achievement gaps. Our results suggest that students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds benefit more from competitive school environments than their more advantaged peers do. We discuss possible explanations (e.g., competitive environments may provide clear goals, structures, and rewards that foster engagement, which could be particularly beneficial for students who are less familiar with such environments).