Educational inequality research often emphasizes socioeconomic status (SES), yet more proximal learning-related resources within families (“family capitals”) may shape students’ achievement more directly. This study examines whether a multidimensional family-capitals measure functions comparably across Germany, Turkey, and China, and whether family capitals predict school achievement beyond SES. We analyzed online survey data collected in May–June 2025 via parent associations from n = 1,271 parents in Germany (n = 626), Turkey (n = 244), and China (n = 401). Parents reported on ten family-capital domains assessed with paired items capturing resources and stress if resources are missing, as well as their child’s school grades. A higher-order confirmatory factor model with ten first-order capital factors loading on two second-order factors (education vs. learning capitals) was estimated using robust maximum likelihood with full-information maximum likelihood for missing data. Multi-group CFA tested configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance. The configural model showed acceptable fit (CFI = .94, TLI = .92, RMSEA = .09, SRMR = .05). Full metric and scalar invariance were not supported; however, partial metric and partial scalar invariance were achieved by freeing a small number of parameters, indicating culture-specific item functioning for selected indicators. Country profiles of family capitals differed substantially. Across countries, higher family capitals were associated with better grades beyond SES, with associations tending to be stronger in China. Findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive measurement in cross-cultural inequality research and suggest that strengthening families’ learning-related resources may offer actionable leverage points for reducing educational disparities.

Authors:
Isabelle May, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Isabelle May is currently an Assistant Professor of Pedagogical Psychology at Friedrich Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

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