Out-of-School Factors and Educational Achievement in Indonesia

Abstract

Many studies have been undertaken in an effort to identify main determinants of academic achievement. Some have analyzed a variety of school-based factors, while others have examined balance between school-based and out-of-school factors. Common to a large number of studies of latter kind is consistent finding that home background is an important determinant of level of achievement. What is not clearly established is just how important home background factors are. Their degree of influence relative to influence of school factors appears to differ between developed and developing countries. Studies such as that by Coleman et al. have shown some background factors to be of much greater importance than school factors in developed countries.' Dougherty reviews a number of such studies, and, although he shows that attempts have been made recently to measure possibly more meaningful dimensions of school environment, basic relativity between home background and school factors remains.2 Studies conducted in developing countries show a different pattern.3 Although Simmons and Alexander adopt view that the determinants of school achievement appear to be basically same in both developed and developing countries,4 they note a number of studies conducted in developing countries that have results not according to expectations of this view. For these countries, home circumstances and student backgrounds are much less influentiar than might have been expected on basis of examining developed country influences. Heyneman, after his review of previous findings -including those of Simmons and Alexander-is much more positive in rejecting belief that strongest influence on achievement always comes from home background, not from school. He concludes, It is simply not true that determinants of school achievement are basically same in both developing and