Abstract
This study examines peer and seating effects on overall class performance and exams from a spatial perspective for principles of economics courses at a major Land Grand institution in the Midwest. Both spatial and student specific factors were identified that impact performance. The spatial relationships in the classroom were explored to determine if students’ peers and seating choice affect their performance. Endogenous spatial peer effects were only found to impact performance on the first exam. Other findings found gender, being an economics major, sitting in the back of the class, and the year the class was taken all impacted overall exam and class performance.
Highlights
A number of studies have examined factors affecting students’ performance in principles of economics classes [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
The number of students who were recorded as an agricultural economics major was greater in 2010 as was the number of students not in the College of Agriculture
The results of the instrumented regressions are provided in five supplementary tables (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5 Tables), which indicated that the instrument, hours enrolled, was a good predictor of grade point average (GPA), and the spatially lagged independent variables provided good instruments for the spatially lagged dependent variables for exam and overall class performance
Summary
A number of studies have examined factors affecting students’ performance in principles of economics classes [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Previous factors of interest have included: academic factors (such as performance on exams, performance on homework, attendance, use of outside assistance, class status, major, special accommodations, GPA, SAT/ACT test scores, instructor, and transfer credits); demographic factors (such as ethnicity, age, gender, financial status, being a veteran, and permanent place of residence); and spatial factors (such as proximity to the front of the classroom, who you sit by, and performance of students around you). This study contributes to previous literature through the investigation of spatial effects through peers and seating preference on class performance in a principles of microeconomics class. To the authors’ knowledge, despite interest in seating location, proximity to the front of the classroom, and who you sit by, no studies have looked at the different impact each student neighbor may have on academic performance.
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