Effect of Socio-Economic Status on Learning Ability of Bengali (Indian) Primary School Children

Abstract

Socioeconomic status is strongly associated with the cognitive ability and achievement during childhood. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of age and socioeconomic status (SES) on learning ability among 5-10 years school going boys. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 322 school going boys from different districts of West Bengal state, India. The socioeconomic status of the participants was evaluated by modified Kuppuswami scale. Learning ability of the participants was evaluated by Ray's auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT). The subjects were divided into lower, middle, upper SES groups. The results revealed that the 5 years old boys recalled significantly lesser words on each of the learning trials and showed significantly lower learning score compared to that of older boys. Age was significantly (P<0.001) and positively correlated with RAVLT performances. The participants belonged to the lower socioeconomic group recalled significantly lesser words on each of the learning trials and possessed significantly smaller learning score compared to that of middle and upper socioeconomic groups. Correlation analysis demonstrated that socioeconomic status had significant and positive correlation with RAVLT performances. On the contrary, age and socioeconomic status had significant negative correlation with forgetful speed. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that even after controlling for the effect of the age, socioeconomic status had strong significant impact on learning of trials (LOT) and recognition (REC).

Can the socio-economic status of young children influence their language performance? An Indian study

“…Researchers have established SES as a key indicator of the presence of language delays in Indian children between 12 to 35 months of age [21], while others found no such relationship between SES and language delay [22]. The SES was found to have an impact on the learning abilities of primary school Bengali children, with children from lower SES exhibiting lower language recall and recognition than children from middle and high SES groups [23]. The communication deficits encountered by low SES children may go unnoticed, due to the use of standardized language tests that may not be sensitive enough to identify differences in language disorders arising from linguistic and cultural variations [24].…”