The Impact of Social and Economic Factors on the Academic Performance of Youth in Slovenia

Abstract

In this research, we assessed the impact of the socio-economic status (average net wages, the registered unemployment rate), education structure and demographic risk (the age dependency ratio) of residents of different Slovenian municipalities on scores on the nationwide, external assessment of knowledge given to pupils in grade 9 of primary school. The analysis was conducted using data for 201 Slovenian municipalities where the National Assessment of Knowledge (NAK) was given to 9th-grade primary school pupils in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. This test assesses learners’ knowledge of the Slovene language and mathematics. The data were used to calculate basic descriptive statistics, as well as coefficients, correlations and validated regression models. The findings show that registered unemployment rate, average educational attainment and the age dependency ratio influence achievements in mathematics. The findings for the Slovene portion of the National Assessment of Knowledge are not as expressive, but do indicate that the registered unemployment rate and age dependency ratio have an impact.