Abstract
AbstractStudents in Brazil are typically assigned to classes based on the age ranking in their cohort. I exploit this rule to estimate how fifth‐grade students’ achievement in mathematics is affected when they are in classes with older peers. I find that being assigned to the older class leads to a drop in maths scores of about 0.4 of a standard deviation for students at the cut‐off. I provide evidence that heterogeneity in age is an important factor behind this effect. Information on teaching practices and student behaviour sheds light on how class heterogeneity harms learning.
Highlights
The question of whether a group composition matters for the outcome of an individual member of that group has received considerable attention in numerous contexts where social interactions may be present
With selection into groups, unobserved characteristics such as ability, parental support and students’ effort are likely to be correlated among peers, and educational outcomes are correlated within the peer group even in the absence of externalities
The analysis needs to deal with separating peer effects from common shocks to the peer group, such as differential educational and teacher inputs, and it needs to account for the simultaneous determination of student and peer achievement (Manski 1993, Hanushek et al 2003)
Summary
The question of whether a group composition matters for the outcome of an individual member of that group has received considerable attention in numerous contexts where social interactions may be present. Age (in months) Grades repeated (in months) Fraction of: Female White Mixed Black East-Asian Indigenous Domestic helper Bolsa Família Parental homework support Number of: Bathrooms Books Cars Computers Fridges Freezers Radios Washing machines Dryers DVDs TV sets Video players Number of student observations
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