Immigrant Educational Achievement Gaps in Industrialized Countries

Claudia Buchmann, Duke University
Emilio A. Parrado, Duke University

We examine patterns of educational achievement among immigrant and native-born students in fourteen countries and seek to determine the extent to which theoretical propositions developed to explain achievement differences in the United States are applicable across a range of industrialized nations with large or growing immigrant populations. Using data from the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), we examine mathematics and science achievement scores for immigrant-origin and native students. Multiple regression analysis tests the degree to which achievement differences are due to differences in family background, socioeconomic status, and language proficiency in all countries. To the extent that immigrant/native achievement differences remain, we explore the possibility that differences among receiving countries in terms of immigrant incorporation are related to differences in immigrants' educational achievement. In light of the very limited comparative research on immigrants educational experiences, the paper will help determine the extent to which these experiences are similar or different across Western, industrialized societies.