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on Education |
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Issue of 2008‒11‒18
twenty-one papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao Technical University of Lisbon |
| By: | Lucey, Thomas A.; Bates, Alan B. |
| Abstract: | The authors describe findings of a survey that contains items related to financial morality. They analyzed responses of 382 teacher education majors and finance majors at a Midwestern institution of higher learning. The study found highest agreement with items measuring business responsibilities, and lowest agreement with items related to wealth distribution. It notes significant differences and varying effect sizes among education and finance majors€٠interpretation of items concerning business responsibility, wealth distribution, and business management. Analysis of items concerning consumer attitudes and consumer behaviors found significant differences and moderate effect sizes. The authors argue for additional research that explores the concepts related to financial morality and provide suggestions for related study. |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:37874&r=edu |
| By: | Grip Andries de; Fouarge Didier; Sauermann Jan (ROA rm) |
| Abstract: | In public policy, international migration of scientists and engineers is often seen as achance of recruiting the most talented and productive workers. However, it can alsobe a risk in terms of loosing a country’s talented workers. In this paper, we analysemigration of graduates from science and engineering studies from nine Europeancountries. Using a dataset with information on personal characteristics, previousmigration experience, as well as study- and work-related variables, we analyse thedeterminants of migrating to the country of the first job and to the country of subsequentjobs after graduation. We find that not only wage gains are driving the migrationdecision. Differences in labour market opportunities related to R&D spending area strong predictor of future migration. Furthermore, past migration experiences arerelated to a higher probability of labour migration. Moreover, we find evidence ofselective migration: the best graduates are most likely to migrate. Contrary to ourexpectation, qualitative aspects of the job match such as the utilisation of skills in thejob and involvement in innovation hardly seem to matter in the decision whetheror not to migrate. Interestingly, the wage level affects migration towards countriesin continental Europe, whereas Anglo-Saxon countries seem to attract migrants duetheir larger R&D intensity. |
| Keywords: | education, training and the labour market; |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:umaror:2008006&r=edu |
| By: | Giuri, Paola; Mariani, Myriam |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Previous research suggests that knowledge spillovers benefit from geographical proximity in technologically active and rich regions more than elsewhere. An alternative view explains the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers as a function of the characteristics and personal networks of the individuals. We test these two competing theories by using information provided directly by the inventors of 6,750 European patents (PatVal-EU survey). Our results confirm the importance of inventors' personal background. However, compared to previous research, we find that the level of education of the inventors is key in shaping the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Highly educated inventors rely more on geographically wide research networks than their less educated peers. This holds after controlling for the mobility of the inventors and for the scientific nature of the research performed. Differently, location matters only in the very rare regions in Europe that perform the bulk of the research in the specific discipline of the inventors. |
| Keywords: | education/geography/inventors/knowledge spillovers/patents |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esr:wpaper:dynreg31&r=edu |
| By: | Bitsch, Vera; Ferris, Ted; Lee, Kathy; McFadden, Mike; Ross, Dean |
| Abstract: | Extension educators have explored different methods for collecting stakeholder input, but a suitable methodology has not been agreed on. The Michigan State University Extension dairy team works with an advisory board and also collected formal stakeholder input through ten regional partner group surveys in 1997. In 2007, the team decided to seek another round of broad-based and inclusive stakeholder input. The research team decided to employ issue identification groups at different locations throughout the state and a mail survey. This paper reports on the procedure developed for this purpose and its results. |
| Keywords: | focus group discussion, formative evaluation, issue identification, issue prioritization, multi-disciplinary teams, nominal group technique, Agribusiness, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:43249&r=edu |
| By: | Espey, Molly |
| Abstract: | The ability to work with others is a skill highly valued by employers. Students often work in groups for class projects, but extensive teamwork is usually limited. This research explores student attitudes toward working with peers through a "Value of Teams" survey. The relationship of demographic characteristics and initial attitudes, changes in attitudes after a semester in an intensive team-based learning environment, and the enduring effect of attitudes as measured through responses of students enrolled in a second class with the same instructor are all examined. |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6493&r=edu |
| By: | Schroeter, Christiane; Green, V. Steven; Bess, Erin |
| Abstract: | This study determines the learning benefit of correcting missed exam questions. The results show that in addition to exams being an assessment tool, they can also be used as a tool for student learning. The availability of this information will provide help considering design, development, and improvement of traditional assessment methods for student learning. |
| Keywords: | Student learning, Assessment, Exam, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6471&r=edu |
| By: | Frenette, Marc |
| Abstract: | This study estimates the effect of an additional year of schooling (Grade 10) on academic performance, with the particular aim of understanding the role of schooling in shaping the gender and income divides in academic performance. To identify the returns to schooling, the study takes advantage of a setting whereby standardized tests were administered to large samples of students of very close age, but who were in different school grades as a result of school-entry laws, thus creating a sharp discontinuity in school grades. The findings suggest that one additional year of high school (Grade 10) is associated with a large improvement in overall reading and mathematics performance, and that it had a smaller improvement in science performance. However, the improvements are not equally distributed: mathematics scores improve more for boys than for girls, and reading and science scores improve more for lower than for higher income youth. Most importantly, we find no evidence that girls or higher income youth benefit more from an additional year of high school in any test area. These findings suggest that the key to understanding the weaker academic performance of boys and lower income youth may lie in earlier school years, the home or at birth. |
| Keywords: | Education, training and learning, Literacy, Outcomes of education |
| Date: | 2008–11–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2008317e&r=edu |
| By: | Alexandre Almeida (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto); Cristina Santos (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto); Mário Rui Silva (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto) |
| Abstract: | The concept of Regional Innovation System (RIS) builds upon an integrated perspective of innovation, acknowledging the contribution of knowledge production subsystem, regulatory context and enterprises to a region’s innovative performance. Science and Technology parks can act as a platform to the production of knowledge and its transfer to the economy in the form of spin-offs or simple knowledge spillovers, enhanced by the co-location of R&D university centers and high technology enterprises on site. Although reflecting mainly a science push perspective, they may constitute central nodes in an infrastructural system of competitiveness that articulates other entrepreneurial location sites and bridges Universities to the economy in a more efficient and effective way, being crucial to increasing technology transfer and interchange speed, promoting the technological upgrading of the regional economy. In this paper we discuss the importance of Science and Technology Parks in the building up of a Regional Innovation System, promoting the technological intensification of the economy, a more effective knowledge transfer and sharing and the construction of competitive advantages, with particular importance in follower regions facing structural deficiencies. We oppose to the predominant closed paradigm, which understands science parks’ role in a narrow and “enclavist”, arguing in favor of an open and “integrative” paradigm where the interconnection to other infrastructures and agents boosts the park’s performance and upgrades the regional economies competitiveness infra-structures and innovation capability. We further stress the importance of science parks in signaling capabilities and hence attracting R&D external initiatives, namely, R&D FDI. |
| Keywords: | Science Parks, New technology-based firms, Innovation, Regional Policy |
| JEL: | O31 O33 O38 R58 |
| Date: | 2008–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:por:fepwps:302&r=edu |
| By: | Pruitt, J. Ross; Dicks, Michael R.; Tilley, Daniel S. |
| Abstract: | Expectations of a course and instructor are formed prior to engagement in the course which affect learning. By understanding the factors that are involved in setting these expectations, instruction and student learning may be improved. This paper seeks to determine if student expectations set the basis for course and instructor appraisal and what factors affect these expectations or changes from expectations. Results indicate that while instructor appraisal does not change over the course of the semester, variables related to instructor appraisal do change. How worthwhile students view the course can also positively or negatively impact overall course appraisal. |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6491&r=edu |
| By: | Badibanga, Thaddee M. |
| Abstract: | Since the abolition of its Apartheid regime in 1994, South Africa has launched a massive program of education, which has been financed through resources representing on average 21% of the national budget or 7% of GDP. Today, the GDP share of public spending on education is 1.3 times the average of industrialized countries (5.4%) and almost twice that of developing countries (3.9%). In this paper, we simulate fiscal policy experiments to analyze the growth and welfare effects of a shift in the allocation of government expenditures between public spending on education and transfers as well as those of a change in the tax rate in a model of endogenous growth with human capital accumulation for the South African economy. The results of simulations demonstrate that a shift in the allocation of fiscal resources between educational spending and transfers does not affect the long run allocation decisions. In the transition, however, this shift generates a negative effect on the rate of growth of GDP. In fact, a reallocation of expenditures shifts resources away from saving and toward consumption, and translate into lower rate of growth but higher welfare. Nonetheless, these growth and welfare effects are very small. On the other hand, a tax cut generates growth effects in the long run as well as in transition. In fact, reducing or cutting the tax rate in the long run lowers the interest rate, which in turn creates disincentives for saving and results in low rate of growth of GDP. However, in the transition, it reduces or removes distortions and translates into high work effort, high accumulation of human capital, and thus high rate of growth of GDP. Nonetheless, its welfare effect is negative. |
| Keywords: | Fiscal Policy, Government Expenditures and Education, Growth Model, International Development, Labor and Human Capital, E62, H52, O41, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6431&r=edu |
| By: | Tilley, Marcia L.; Tilley, Daniel S.; Yiannaka, Amalia; Holcomb, Rodney; Howard, Wayne; Weckler, Paul; Cavaletto, Richard; Zohns, Mark; Sitton, Shelly; Blackwell, Cindy; Delahoussaye, Ronald; Jones, David |
| Abstract: | Innovation is critical to the survival of agricultural businesses in the U.S. yet few universities have classes in their curricula that focus on innovation and innovation management. Innovation includes developing new processes and concepts and taking products based on those ideas to market. By its nature, innovation generally involves technical components, market assessment, business analysis, and implementation strategies that include marketing campaigns to a target market. As a result, if innovation is going to be experientially taught to students, the class will likely need to include concepts from multiple disciplines. The objectives of this paper are to present an outline of capstone/senior design classes designed to cause students to learn innovation by participating in interdisciplinary teams working with real companies on the development of new product innovation. |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6153&r=edu |
| By: | Boyer, Tracy; Briggeman, Brian C.; Norwood, F. Bailey |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6196&r=edu |
| By: | Esther Duflo; Pascaline Dupas; Michael Kremer |
| Abstract: | This paper provides experimental evidence on the impact of tracking primary school students by initial achievement. In the presence of positive spillover effects from academically proficient peers, tracking may be beneficial for strong students but hurt weaker ones. However, tracking may help everybody if heterogeneous classes make it difficult to teach at a level appropriate to most students. We test these competing claims using a randomized evaluation in Kenya. One hundred and twenty one primary schools which all had a single grade one class received funds to hire an extra teacher to split that class into two sections. In 60 randomly selected schools, students were randomly assigned to sections. In the remaining 61 schools, students were ranked by prior achievement (measured by their first term grades), and the top and bottom halves of the class were assigned to different sections. After 18 months, students in tracking schools scored 0.14 standard deviations higher than students in non-tracking schools, and this effect persisted one year after the program ended. Furthermore, students at all levels of the distribution benefited from tracking. A regression discontinuity analysis shows that in tracking schools scores of students near the median of the pre-test distribution score are independent of whether they were assigned to the top or bottom section. In contrast, in non-tracking schools we find that on average, students benefit from having academically stronger peers. This suggests that tracking was beneficial because it helped teachers focus their teaching to a level appropriate to most students in the class. |
| JEL: | I20 O1 |
| Date: | 2008–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14475&r=edu |
| By: | de Luna, Xavier (Department of Statistics, Umeå University); Stenberg, Anders (SOFI, Stockholm University); Westerlund, Olle (Department of Economics, Umeå University) |
| Abstract: | Several studies have suggested that education is associated with later retirement from the labour market. In this paper, we examine whether adult education, involving enrolees aged 42 or above, delays retirement to potentially increase labour force participation among the elderly. With Swedish register data of transcripts from adult education and an-nual earnings, which encompasses 1979-2004 and 1982-2004 respectively, we exploit the fact that adult education is a large-scale phenomenon in Sweden and construct a measure of the timing of the transition from being self-supported by productive work to being supported by pension transfers. We match samples of treated and controls on the propen-sity score and use non-parametric estimation of survival rates. The results indicate that adult education has no effect on the timing of the retirement from the labour force. This can be contrasted with the fact that adult education is one of the cornerstones of the OECD strategy for “active ageing” and the European Union’s “Lisbon strategy” for growth and jobs. |
| Keywords: | Human capital; Pensions; Elderly; Adult schooling |
| JEL: | H52 H55 H75 I28 J14 J26 |
| Date: | 2008–11–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:umnees:0756&r=edu |
| By: | Jonah E. Rockoff; Brian A. Jacob; Thomas J. Kane; Douglas O. Staiger |
| Abstract: | Research on the relationship between teachers' characteristics and teacher effectiveness has been underway for over a century, yet little progress has been made in linking teacher quality with factors observable at the time of hire. However, most research has examined a relatively small set of characteristics that are collected by school administrators in order to satisfy legal requirements and set salaries. To extend this literature, we administered an in-depth survey to new math teachers in New York City and collected information on a number of non-traditional predictors of effectiveness including teaching specific content knowledge, cognitive ability, personality traits, feelings of self-efficacy, and scores on a commercially available teacher selection instrument. Individually, we find that only a few of these predictors have statistically significant relationships with student and teacher outcomes. However, when all of these variables are combined into two primary factors summarizing cognitive and non-cognitive teacher skills, we find that both factors have a modest and statistically significant relationship with student and teacher outcomes, particularly with student test scores. These results suggest that, while there may be no single factor that can predict success in teaching, using a broad set of measures can help schools improve the quality of their teachers. |
| JEL: | I21 J45 |
| Date: | 2008–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14485&r=edu |
| By: | Nefstead, Ward; Gillard, Steve |
| Abstract: | This paper looks at factors affecting years to degree completion for undergraduate students as well as factors affecting retention rates - a leading indicator to the rate of degree completion. The model outlines key indicators and relationships between them that have a significant impact on the length of program for a given cohort of students. In addition the analysis will point to specific actions that impact the dependent variables described in the model. The goal is that actions taken as a result of this and other related analysis will help raise four year graduation rates by over 20%. |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6442&r=edu |
| By: | Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés; Tselios, Vassilis |
| Abstract: | Does inequality matter for regional growth? This paper addresses this question by using microeconomic data for more than 100,000 individuals over a period of 5 years from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) dataset, complemented with Eurostat's Regio data, in order to examine the impact of income and educational distribution on regional economic growth. Educational distribution is measured in terms of educational achievement as well as educational inequality, and income distribution in terms of income per capita and income inequality, not only for the whole of the population, but also for normally working people. Our results indicate that, given existing levels of inequality, an increase in a region's income and educational inequality has a significant positive relationship with subsequent economic growth. Nevertheless, the reverse does not seem to be the case, as we do not find a causal link between growth and changes in inequality levels. Despite the fact that educational achievement is positively correlated with economic growth, the results also suggest that inequalities in income and educational attainment levels matter more for economic performance than average income and educational attainment, respectively. Initial income levels, in contrast, are irrelevant for regional economic growth as they are very sensitive to the inclusion of control variables. |
| Keywords: | Income inequality,educational attainment,educational inequality,economic growth,regions,Europe/growth |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esr:wpaper:dynreg34&r=edu |
| By: | Barkley, Andrew |
| Abstract: | This research presents the results of a mathematical model of learning, to identify the major determinants of a productive and successful learning environment for college-level students. The driving force of the research is the relationship between: (1) student capacity for learning (ability), and (2) the opportunity to learn provided by the instructor (challenge). The dynamic relationship between ability and challenge leads to the most effective steady state rate of knowledge acquisition (learning). Implications for both students and teachers are derived and explored, including the proposition that a stable and sustainable rate of learning occurs when ability and challenge are congruent. |
| Keywords: | Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6161&r=edu |
| By: | Ekki Syamsulhakim (Department of Economics, Padjadjaran University) |
| Abstract: | This paper aims to exercise a rather recent trend in applied microeconometrics, namely the effect of sampling design on statistical inference, especially on binary outcome model. Many theoretical research in econometrics have shown the inappropriateness of applying i.i.dassumed statistical analysis on non-i.i.d data. These research have provided proofs showing that applying the iid-assumed analysis on a non-iid observations would result in an inflated standard errors which could make the estimated coefficients inefficient if not biased. Consequently, a policy-affecting quantitative research would give an incorrect - usually of type-1 errors - in its conclusion. Using a dataset sourced from the third cycle of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), which sampling design involved multi-stage clustering and stratification, this paper shows discrepancies in the estimation result of probit regressions of a child attending school when the estimated standard errors are adjusted and not. The computation also shows a considerable change in the level of confidence in not-rejecting the null hypothesis of the explanatory variables. This paper provides more evidence that statistical analysis should always take into account the sampling design in collecting the data. |
| Keywords: | Applied microeconometrics, survey data, IFLS, design effects, economics of education, demand for schooling |
| JEL: | C12 C42 C81 I21 |
| Date: | 2008–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unp:wpaper:200809&r=edu |
| By: | Jordan, Jeff; Castillio, Marco; Ferraro, Paul J.; Petrie, Regan |
| Abstract: | We experimentally investigate the distribution of children's time preferences along gender and racial lines. Black boys have significantly larger discount rates than any other demographic group. Discount rates among Black girls are comparable to rates among White girls. Although White boys exhibit higher discount rates than girls, the difference is small and not statistically significant. These results are robust to alternative measures of patience and to regression analyses that control for socio-economic background and school performance. The measured differences in discount rates are large. All things equal, a Black boy requires expected returns to education 13-15% higher than Black girls to compensate for his larger discounting of future payoffs. Equally importantly, we show that impatience, as measured by discount rates, has a direct effect on behavior. An increase of one standard deviation in the discount rate increases by 5 percent the probability that a child incurs at least 3 school-related disciplinary actions. This result suggests that experiments capture new and relevant information on children. Overall, our results suggests that time preferences might play a large role in setting appropriate incentives for children. Understanding the factors behind these differences in preferences is an important area for future research. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital, |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea08:6368&r=edu |
| By: | Francis Green |
| Abstract: | I considerthe concept of employment insecurity and provide new evidence for 1997 and 2005 for many countries with widely differing institutional contexts and at varying stages of development. There are no grounds for accepting that workplaces were going through a sea-change in employment insecurity. Workers in transitional economies and developing economies worried the most about insecurity. Perceived insecurity tended to be greater for women, for less-educated and for older workers. However, these patterns vary across country groups, in ways that are only sometimes explicable in terms of their known institutional characteristics. In general, subjective employment insecurity tracks the unemployment rate. |
| Keywords: | precarious work; job insecurity; gender; job quality; unemployment |
| JEL: | J6 J16 |
| Date: | 2008–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ukc:ukcedp:0810&r=edu |