Does school impact adolescents’ life satisfaction differently for students of different socio-economic status? A comparative study in 33 countries

Abstract

Research shows that school is one of the most important life domains shaping adolescents’ life satisfaction (LS) and this influence varies across countries and different groups of students (e.g. by gender). However, there is a lack of cross-country comparative research studying the links between school and students’ LS and how this differs across socioeconomic status (SES). I study this question using multilevel regression to analyse data from the 2015 Programme for International Students Assessment on 15-year-old students in 33 countries. Several measures of SES are studied. Results indicate that 1) distinct school-related factors may shape students’ LS differently for students of higher and lower SES; 2) schools can moderate the association between SES and students’ LS; and 3) for all the above, although some general patterns are observed across countries, there are important differences across societies and measures of SES. Research and policy implications are discussed.