What drives academic achievement? A deep dive into demand and supply factors in Myanmar’s primary schools

This study examines the sources of variability in the academic achievements of primary students in Myanmar, focusing on both demand- and supply-side factors. Using data from the South East Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) 2019, a comprehensive learning assessment conducted among Grade 5 students in six Southeast Asian countries, this study employs the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) approach. The findings reveal that approximately one-third of the variability in academic achievement can be attributed to differences between schools, whereas the remaining variance occurs within schools. Demand-side factors contribute to one-fifth of the student-level differences and two-fifths of the school-level differences. Conversely, supply-side factors explain only one-fifth of the school-level differences. When both the demand and supply sides are integrated, half of the variance is explained between schools, and nearly one-fifth is explained within schools. The key predictors on the demand side include repetition status, positive attitudes toward school, parental education, and involvement, whereas teacher absenteeism, the student-teacher ratio, and shortages of instructional materials emerge as significant factors on the supply side.