Essays on Educational Choices, Investment and Outcomes
Open Access DepositedThe Academic Impact of Math Remediation in EconomicsThe literature on the impact of remedial courses in higher education presents mixed findings, with predictions ranging from positive development to potential diversion or discouragement effects on students. In this paper, we examine the effects of a remedial "math for economics" course on student outcomes using administrative data from a U.S. university. We exploit a strict placement exam cutoff and apply a fuzzy regression discontinuity design (RDD) to estimate the local average treatment effect of enrolling in the remedial course prior to introductory economics. Our findings indicate that students just below the cutoff (treatment group) do not experience negative academic outcomes, in terms of course performance or degree completion, compared to students just above the cutoff (control group). In fact, we find that students in the treatment group take more economics courses and are more likely to graduate within four years. These results contribute valuable insights into the role of remedial education in higher education and enhance the ongoing debate on the effectiveness of such interventions.
Ch 1
From Remediation to Retention
Are Children Left Behind? Temporary Migration and Education in IndiaIn this paper, we examine the impact of fathers’ temporary migration on the human capital outcomes of children left behind. Using an instrumental variable (IV) strategy based on district-level Bartik shocks, we address the endogeneity of migration decisions. Our instrument leverages local labor demand shocks and proximity to booming cities to isolate exogenous variation in migration patterns. Contrary to concerns that paternal absence may negatively affect children’s education, our findings indicate that temporary migration does not hinder human capital accumulation. On the contrary, it is associated with improved schooling outcomes, on average, relative to children in non-migrating households. These results highlight that short-term migration by male household members can function as a viable economic strategy without compromising children’s long-term educational attainment. Ch 3
Incentivizing Professional Development in Early Childhood EducationIn this paper, I examine whether correcting overestimation of professional ability influences investment in professional development (PD) among community early childhood health and education workers in India’s Anganwadi program. I conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment involving a content-knowledge test of program workers followed by treated workers receiving visual feedback on their actual score. I find that 92% of the workers overestimated their scores. The light-touch information intervention prompted belief revision among treated workers. They were also more likely to choose low-cost and low-effort PD material offered, visual teaching aids, over cash. On the other hand, overall take-up of (relatively) more expensive training book was modestly lower and not statistically different across treatment and control arms. Follow-up phone interviews revealed that the knowledge assessment triggered self-reflection and increased demand for professional development resources. Workers expressed a clear preference for visual charts over books due to their ease of use and direct applicability in daily tasks. Overall, my findings suggest that corrective feedback can nudge low-cost PD investments. Ch 2
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.