The Relationship between Malaysian Students’ Socio-Economic Status and their Academic Achievement in STEM education

Abstract

Although there is proliferating literature on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, studies on the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on STEM education are limited in developing countries. Studies on STEM education in Malaysia has largely involved the teaching and learning aspect while there are limited studies in other areas. This study investigates the possible relationships between socio-economic factors and Malaysian students’ academic achievement in STEM subjects. Data was collected from students in the higher learning institutions located in five different regions in Malaysia using a survey questionnaire. Cross-tabulations were made between the construct of SES and students’ academic achievement, and analyses for Chi-Square tests for associations were carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results of this study show that there are statistically significant positive associations between students’ grades in engineering and their fathers’ education, between students’ grades in science and their mothers’ education, and between students’ grades in science and their parents’ combined income. Moreover, there are statistically significant and positive associations between students’ grades in mathematics and parents’ education, occupation and combined income. Future studies can identify the reasons for these associations and how Malaysian students’ declining academic performance in international assessments can be improved by improving STEM education.