A cross-country comparison of family effect upon students’ reading literacy based on social capital theory

Prior studies examining social capital and academic achievement have focused on individual countries, limiting cross-cultural generalizability. Additionally, inconsistent measurement of social capital hinders robust conclusions about its effects on student achievement. To add these problems, this study evaluates family-based social capital (FSC) within diverse cultural contexts using a two-stage analytical framework combining country-specific two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) with meta-analyses and cultural dimension analysis, based on PISA2009 data for 14 economies, 3,420 schools and 101,370 students. Four HLM models assessed contributions of demographic characteristics and family social capital (family structure, siblings, early parental support, current parental involvement) to reading literacy. Cross-country comparisons employed Snijders and Bosker’s pseudo-R 2 , intra-class correlations, and Hedges’ Q tests. Correlation and regression analyses examined relationships between gross explanatory power of FSC and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Results reveal family social capital significantly predicts reading achievement beyond demographic factors, with net explanatory power varying from 1% (Macao) to 7.8% (Hungary). Early parental support and nuclear families show positive associations, while sibling number exhibits negative effects, and effects specific to each country vary significantly. Hedges’ Q tests confirm significant cross-national heterogeneity for each aspect of family-based social capital. Critically, Hofstede’s Indulgence versus Restraint dimension substantially accounts for cross-national variation in FSC’s explanatory power (R 2 = 0.763). Findings demonstrate that family social capital’s impact is systematically moderated by cultural orientation, challenging universalist assumptions in Coleman’s framework and highlighting the necessity for culturally informed educational theories and context-specific policies.