Edelman, Brent M.
Researchers: Brent M. Edelman
University Affiliation: Temple University
Email: bedelman@temple.edu
Research Question:
Develops a theoretical model of educational peer effects and then empiracally tests whether or not they exist.
Published: 0
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: N/A
Journal Entry: N/A
Year: 2010
Findings:
- The estimation results of the empirical model, interpreted using a simulation-based technique, find a positive relationship between the amount of time a student spends studying and time spent studying by peers who share his race; for self-assessed effort, the results are ambiguous.
- For both effort and study, being female has a postive effect on the probabilities of higher effort choices.
- Being White has a negative effect, as does working a paid job for 20+ hours.
- Both being in an upper SES category (60-79%) and living with both parents increase the probabilities of higher effort choices.
- For just effort, being in the 40-59 SES percentile and being in a magnet school have a positive effect, whereas being in high school has a negative effect.
- For just study, working a paid job of 6-10 hours and being in the top SES category have a positive effect.
- Ability, not having an ability measure, having increased variance across study responses, and having a higher percentage of licensed teachers all decrease effort.
- Increased variance across the own racial group’s study choices decreases study.
- Suggests that grouping students who behave in a similar manner could lead to overall improvements in educational outcomes.
- An increase in own racial group effort increases the student’s own effort; for other racial group effort the effect is positive but not significant.