We are all closely connected with our living environment. This environment influences our behavior and also learning in many ways. Some of the connections between student’s performance and their living environment are understood better than others. We know that student’s family plays an important role in student’s educational achievement. Furthermore there are also to be found connections between student’s educational outcome and the community in which they live in. But explaining these variables interrelated connections is much more difficult, due to the phenomenon’s complexity. According to Plagens (2011) in some contexts this influence of the environment on students educational outcome can be negative and in some others positive. (See also Harju-Luukkainen & Vettenranta 2013, 77-79)

In many studies, including PISA, some of the student’s family characteristics have been found to be of importance in student’s educational outcome. According to Morrow (1999) especially among younger children the family background plays a central role, but among older students the peer groups influence becomes more important. Due to this fact, especially in research conducted to the youth, the impact of friends, social networks, and activities in the community should be taken into account. It is also assumed that the family’s social capital is an essential factor affecting students’ educational achievements. In addition, according to Sun (1999) community’s social capital is consistently associated with student performance, even after controlling for a family’s social capital and demographic factors.

In this paper we look closer at PISA 2012-assessment data in all assessed domains and their geographical distribution in Finland. With the help of Kriging method (McCoy, J & Johnston, 2001) we identify low performing areas and investigate them further. From these premises we have formulated a research question: Are there to be found some common features in student’s background variables in low performing areas in Finland.

Harju-Luukkainen, H., & Vettenranta, J. (2013). The Influence of Local Culture on Students' Educational Outcomes. In Tirri, K., & Kuusisto, E. (Eds.), Interaction in Educational Domains. (Sivut 77-90). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. McCoy, J & Johnston, K. (2001). Using ArcGis™ Spatial Analyst. USA, NewYork: ESRI. Morrow, V. (1999). Conceptualising social capital in relation to the well-being of children and young people: a critical review. Sociol. Rev., 47, 744-765. Plagens, G. (2011). Social capital and Education: Implication for Student and School Performance. Education & Culture 2011, 27(1), 40-64. Sun, Y. (1999). The contextual effects of community social capital on academic performance. Social Science Research, 28, 403–426.