Contrary to the hidden-talents hypothesis, low-SES students scored 18% lower on mathematics items of real-world importance¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-26 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Children from low-SES backgrounds scored 18% lower on math items reflecting real-world topics (money, food, social relationships), contrary to the authors' hypothesis. → Brummelman 2024

Evidence¶

Brummelman 2024¶

Brummelman, E., van Atteveldt, N., Wolf, S. & Sierksma, J. (2024). Using social and behavioral science to address achievement inequality. npj Science of Learning, 9, 44. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-024-00259-1

q2 · i? · review · r2

The editorial reports, citing Muskens et al., a preregistered cross-sectional analysis of TIMSS data from 4th and 8th grade students in 58 countries. Contrary to hypothesis, low-SES students "scored 18%lower on items of real-world importance". The 18% figure is a percentage difference, not a standardized effect size.

"Contrary to the authors ' hypothesis, children from low-SES backgrounds scored 18%lower on items of real-world importance."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The pandemic strengthened the link between socioeconomic status and mathematics scores, but only in countries with closures shorter than 22 weeks — related
• In more competitive school environments, students from lower SES backgrounds report more positive self-views than their more advantaged peers, narrowing SES gaps in self-views — related
• School test score averages are strongly related to the income of the families a school serves — related
• The expected performance advantage of ecologically relevant content for low-SES students, predicted by the hidden talents approach, was not found; the opposite pattern emerged — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Low-SES students have a lower chance of correctly answering math items with money, food, or social-interaction content than expected given their average math performance — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• The disadvantage from ecologically relevant content is driven by money and social-interaction items in both grades, but food items show the effect only in grade 4 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• At item level, money and social-interaction content are significantly related to lower odds of correct responding by low-SES students, but food content is not when compared with neutral word problems — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Items with low-SES ecologically relevant content show Differential Item Functioning to the disadvantage of low-SES students more often than neutral items — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)