A Bi-Level Analysis of the Effect of the Household SES and the Provincial Level of Development on Academic Deprivation among Iranian Children

Academic deprivation (AD) among school age Iranian children is a major problem as many of them fail to go or continue to go to school for a variety of reasons. This deprivation could be a function of factors at both the family and provincial levels. The ratio of children deprived of schooling (RCDS), higher than the middle level, is significantly different among Iranian provinces, hence, necessitating the use of a multilevel model in dealing with the problem. The analysis of data collected on the households’ SES as well as those on the LOD of the provinces indicates that most of the difference in deprivation stems from the household rather than the province that the children live in. At the provincial level, AD and SES have a significant negative relationship with the RCDS affecting its strength negatively. This suggests that there are other factors besides the household factors that affect AD, although the household SES is the most significant element in academic deprivation.