Music (Introduction)
Hi my name is Theresa Draper and you are listening to National Public Radio. This morning, we will be focusing on yet another factor that influences learner diversity within Australian schools today; socioeconomic status and the impact it has on education and student achievement.
So what is socioeconomic status?
Audio
“Socioeconomic status is the grouping of people with similar occupational, educational, and economic characteristics associated with varying levels of power, influence, and prestige” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX5FxnHzxNM
While socioeconomic status “is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation ......................... it is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group” (American Psychological Association, 2017, par. 1). …show more content…
Data collected from various studies over recent decades has shown “students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, which include Indigenous and rural and remote students, typically achieve lower educational outcomes than their more privileged peers” (Noel & de Broucker, 2001; OECD, 2010; Sirin, 2005; Tesse & Polesel, 2003 as cited in Sullivan, Perry, & McConney, 2013, p. 355). As a result, children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to experience lower levels of literacy, numeracy and comprehension, as well as lower retention rates, and higher levels of problematic school behaviour making it difficult for them to successfully transition from school to the labour market (Considine & Zappala`,