This study aimed to compare key predictors of academic resilience in the distinctive socio-cultural contexts of South Korea and the United States, employing a machine-learning-based random forest technique. Using PISA 2018 data, we focused on students in the bottom 25% of family socioeconomic status, totaling 1,654 in South Korea and 1,175 in the US. The results showed that individual factors, such as meta-cognition, joy of reading, self-concept of reading, and work mastery, were ranked highly in both countries. On the other hand, self-efficacy and students’ expectation of higher education were specific to Korea, while fixed mindset and meaning in life were specific to the US. Based on these findings, this study highlighted the need for culturally responsive policies to nurture academic resilience among disadvantaged youth.
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