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on Education |
| By: | Raphael Brade |
| Abstract: | Many organizations use onboarding programs to assist newcomers with the transition process. Are brief social interactions during such programs sufficient to create lasting performance spillovers? Exploiting quasi-random assignment to groups of a two-day freshman orientation program for university students, I find that higher ability peers generate positive effects even three years later. A one SD increase in peer ability improves the academic performance of business administration students by 0.05 to 0.08 SD. I provide evidence that the effects result from the formation of lasting social ties, and that performance spillovers are moderated by the broader social environment of the organization. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, peer ability, academic performance, higher education, Freshman orientation, quasi-experiment |
| JEL: | I21 I23 J24 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11046&r=edu |
| By: | Janine Albiez; Maurizio Strazzeri; Stefan C. Wolter |
| Abstract: | We examine the association between the personality trait grit and post-compulsory educational choices and trajectories using a large survey linked to administrative student register data. Exploiting cross sectional variation in students' self-reported grit in the last year of compulsory school, we find that an increase in students' grit is associated with a higher likelihood to start a vocational education instead of a general education. This association is robust to the inclusion of cognitive skill measures and a comprehensive set of other students' background characteristics. Moreover, using novel data on skill requirements of around 240 vocational training occupations, we find that grittier vocational education students sort into math-intensive training occupations. Similarly, students in general education with more grit select themselves more often into the math-intensive track. Finally, we do not find evidence that students with a higher grit have lower dropout rates in post-compulsory education. |
| Keywords: | Non-cognitive skills, Personality traits, Grit, Educational choices |
| JEL: | D01 I20 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iso:educat:0215&r=edu |
| By: | Liu, Kaiqi (RS: GSBE UM-BIC, Microeconomics & Public Economics); Rusch, Hannes (RS: GSBE UM-BIC, Microeconomics & Public Economics, RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research); Seel, Christian (RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, Microeconomics & Public Economics); Terstiege, Stefan (RS: GSBE UM-BIC, Microeconomics & Public Economics) |
| Abstract: | We model student enrollment in markets for higher education where public universities, private non-profit universities, and private for-profit universities compete. Universities differ with respect to their capacity, graduation probability, and profit objective; students differ in ability. The value of a diploma at each university depends on its endogenous ranking based on average student ability. In every equilibrium, the private for-profit university attracts the least able students. Under additional conditions, the private non-profit university attracts the top students. Paradoxically, a higher capacity at the public university might decrease its equilibrium market share as it incentivizes the for-profit university to compete more aggressively. The for-profit university benefits from an increased enrollment in higher education. |
| JEL: | C78 I23 |
| Date: | 2024–04–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:umagsb:2024005&r=edu |
| By: | Yuan S. Zhang; Elizabeth Frankenberg; Duncan Thomas |
| Abstract: | The relationship between completed education and adult cognition is investigated using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey. We compare adult siblings to account for shared, difficult-to-measure characteristics that likely affect this relationship, including genetics and parental preferences and investments. After establishing the importance of shared family background factors, we document substantively large, significant impacts of education on cognition in models with sibling fixed effects. In contrast, the strong positive correlation between education and adult height is reduced to zero in models with sibling fixed effects, suggesting little contamination in the education-height association beyond factors common to siblings. |
| JEL: | C33 I21 O12 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32362&r=edu |
| By: | Esteban M. Aucejo; A. Spencer Perry; Basit Zafar |
| Abstract: | Balancing the demands of work and schooling is a challenging task for an increasing number of students who have to pay their way through college and for workers who intend to upgrade their skills. However, flexible learning and working environments could play an important role in easing many frictions associated with performing both activities simultaneously. Using detailed (work and study effort) data -- from a partnership between Arizona State University and Uber that allows eligible drivers to enroll in online college courses for free -- we analyze how labor supply and study efforts respond to changes in labor market conditions and college activities/tasks. Our findings indicate that a 10% increase in average weekly online college activities reduces weekly time spent on the Uber platform by about 1%, indicating a low “short run” opportunity cost of studying when working. We also show that study time is not particularly sensitive to changes in labor market conditions, where a 10% increase in average weekly pay reduces study hours by only 2%. Consistent with these results, we find that workers take advantage of their flexible schedules by changing their usual working hours when their college courses are more demanding. We do not find adverse effects of work hours on academic performance in this context, or of study hours on workplace performance (as measured by driver ratings or tips). Finally, the (elicited) value assigned to flexible working and educational formats is high among the students in our sample, who view online education as an important vehicle for increasing expected future income. Overall, this study underscores that combining flexible working and learning formats could constitute a suitable path for many (lowSES) students who work to afford an increasingly expensive college education and for workers aiming to improve their skill set. |
| JEL: | I20 J01 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32357&r=edu |
| By: | Hazans, Mihails; Holmen, Rasmus Bøgh; Upenieks, Jānis; Žabko, Oksana |
| Abstract: | Education scholars and human geographers have extensively studied spatial disparities in access to secondary education, both in developing countries and in advanced economies. However, very few studies have analysed access to specific types of secondary education, particularly programs oriented toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM-oriented programs). This paper aims to fill this gap using rich geodata and administrative data on Latvia. An overview of the supply of STEM-related skills in the Nordic-Baltic region suggests that in this regard Latvia performs the worst in terms of both recent university graduates and working-age population in general. We show that 43 percent of youth aged 15 to 18 cannot reach a STEM program within 30 minutes by walking. Furthermore, estimates of earnings differentials by access time, between program types, and between two modes of travel suggest that children from wealthier families have better access to STEM programs. More densely populated settlements feature better access to STEM programs, as well as better exam results in STEM disciplines, while language exam results do not show such a pattern. |
| Keywords: | Access to secondary education, STEM-oriented programs, regional disparities, geographic information system |
| JEL: | I24 I28 R53 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120646&r=edu |
| By: | Naser Amanzadeh; Amir Kermani; Timothy McQuade |
| Abstract: | We bring to bear a novel dataset covering the employment history of about 450 million individuals from 180 countries to study return migration and the impact of skilled international migration on human capital stocks across countries. Return migration is a common phenomenon, with 38% of skilled migrants returning to their origin countries within 10 years. Return migration is significantly correlated with industry growth in the origin and destination countries, and is asymmetrically exposed to negative firm employment growth. Using an AKM-style model, we identify worker and country-firm fixed effects, as well as the returns to experience and education by location and current workplace. For workers in emerging economies, the returns to a year of experience in the United States are 59-204% higher than a year of experience in the origin country. Migrants to advanced economies are positively selected on ability relative to stayers, while within this migrant population, returnees exhibit lower ability. Simulations suggest that eliminating skilled international migration would have highly heterogeneous effects across countries, adjusting total (average) human capital stocks within a range of -60% to 40% (-3% to 4%). |
| JEL: | F22 J61 O15 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32352&r=edu |