Work

Peer Effects: Evidence from Secondary School Transition in England

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: We estimate the effect of peers' prior achievement on student progress in secondary school, using administrative data on four cohorts of students in England. Students leaving primary for secondary school experience a big change in their peer group and these changes vary randomly from cohort to cohort. We exploit this variation to identify the effect of new peers on student achievement. We show that peer quality on entry to secondary school has a significant effect on students' subsequent achievement at age 14. The effect sizes are relatively small and are linked to peers' family background and early age achievements.

Source: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics

DOI: 10.1111/obes.12095

Authors: Stephen Gibbons, Shqiponja Telhaj

Institutions: London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Sussex

Language: English

Topic: School Choice and Performance

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council