Beyond the Classroom: The Impact of Social, Economic, and Cultural Factors on Learning Processes and Academic Achievement

Abstract

The objective was to examine the impact of the sociocultural context on the learning processes of secondary school students; in order to understand how social, economic, and cultural factors influence educational disparities and students’ academic performance. A qualitative methodology and theoretical purposive sampling were used to select thirty students, ten teachers, and three administrators. An inductive-deductive thematic analysis with source triangulation was employed to process data from semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The results analyzed five main areas: academic expectations, school environment and inclusion, the digital divide, cultural capital and family support, and territorial structural barriers. The study demonstrated that motivation, autonomy, and academic trajectories are directly affected by parents’ educational level, access to technology, and socioeconomic circumstances. Furthermore, it demonstrated how the school environment and culturally appropriate teaching methods can reduce external disparities to some extent. It was determined that socioeconomic factors have a significant influence on secondary students’ learning. The results suggest that, to move toward greater educational equity, education policies must take contextual factors into account, improve digital inclusion, and promote intercultural training for teachers.