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Abstract

This study examines the factors that explain differences in academic performance among students with similar cognitive abilities in rural schools in Kazakhstan, using one region as a case study. The theoretical foundation of the study is the value-added concept, according to which students’ educational outcomes are determined not only by their individual characteristics but also by external factors, such as the school’s contribution or the family’s socioeconomic status.

The empirical basis consists of data from the “Myn Bala” National Olympiad, information about students’ grades and families, and school characteristics from the National Education Database. The analysis utilized regression models and a comparison of school grades with Olympiad results as an external indicator of cognitive abilities and academic potential. Methodologically, this work aligns with quantitative sociology and computational social science, combining computational approaches and the analysis of multilevel data to study the factors of educational inequality.

The results showed that students’ individual characteristics influence educational outcomes more strongly than school parameters, although certain features of the school context also prove to be significant. A comparison of school grades and Olympiad results revealed differences that may indicate the subjectivity of internal assessment and an uneven distribution of the school’s “value-added effect” among different social groups of students. Thus, the study demonstrates that the value-added theory is useful for analyzing educational inequality in rural schools in Kazakhstan, as it allows for the consideration of academic performance as the result of the interaction between a student’s individual resources, family capital, and the school’s institutional contribution.