Within-School Socioeconomic Disparities in Academic Achievement: A Qualitative Case Study of Study-Regulation Supports among Indian Secondary Students
academic achievement; India; qualitative case study; socioeconomic status; study strategies
Objective: This study explored how socioeconomic contexts shape students study strategies and how these differences relate to academic achievement within the same school setting. Methods and Materials: A single-site qualitative case study was conducted in a private, unaided English-medium CBSE school in Bengaluru, India, enrolling students from diverse socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Thirty students in Grades 89 (aged 1315) were selected through purposive sampling, representing all achievement levels and residence types (day scholars and residential/hostel students). SES classification was informed by parental education/occupation and the Modified Kuppuswamy Scale (2019). Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews, audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed iteratively using line-by-line and focused coding guided by Charmazs grounded theory approach, leading to theme development. Findings: Three themes explained within-school achievement disparities: (1) parental engagement and access to cultural/social capital varied by SES, shaping monitoring, subject support, and study regulation at home; (2) hostel routines and mentoring provided compensatory structures resembling middle-class concerted cultivation, supporting academic regulation for some low-SES residential students; and (3) for low-SES day scholars, teachers and remedial support served as the primary learning resource, often framed in skill-deficit terms rather than culturally responsive pedagogy. Conclusion: Equal access to school resources does not necessarily produce equal outcomes because study regulation develops within unequal family and institutional support ecologies. Equity-oriented, culturally responsive, and relational school practicesalongside targeted academic mentoringmay help reduce persistent achievement gaps. 2025 the authors.
International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture;Volume;13;Issue;1;pp.4-13
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
https://doi.org/10.61838/ijbmc.v13i1.991 https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029816755?origin=resultslist
Kanthy D.U., Department of Psychology, Christ (Deemed to be) University, Bengaluru, India; Arur A.A., Department of Psychology, Christ (Deemed to be) University, Bengaluru, India