Am I the big fish? The effect of ordinal rank on student academic performance in middle school

Abstract

This paper investigates the causal effect of ordinal rank on students’ academic performance in the short run. This paper provides the first direct evidence of the relationship between objective rank and students’ self-perceived rank, as well as of the impact of the self-perceived rank on students’ academic attainments. The results show that both students’ objective ability and self-perceived rank have a significant positive effect on students’ test scores. Taking advantage of the very detailed survey questions aimed at students, parents, and teachers, a large set of potential mechanisms are examined in the paper. I also find a positive effect of having a female teacher on the self-perceived rank of female students.