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Class attendance and academic performance: A subgroup analysis

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  • Dey, Ishita

Abstract

My paper contributes in two ways to the existing literature that examines the impact of attendance on exam performance. First, I analyze new, longitudinal data on students from a large public university in the US. Second, I investigate whether the average attendance effect varies by a student’s race, gender and level of preparedness for the course. My results suggest that attending class has a positive and significant effect on exam performance. This effect is robust across specifications. Additionally, I find that the average attendance effect is not uniform across subgroups of students. Males, Non-whites, students who have completed the prerequisite class at another institution, received a lower grade in the prerequisite, taken the prerequisite a while back, or have a lower overall GPA to begin with enjoy higher returns from attending class. The results suggest a role for policies that encourage attendance, preferably through active learning techniques.

Suggested Citation

  • Dey, Ishita, 2018. "Class attendance and academic performance: A subgroup analysis," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 29-40.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:28:y:2018:i:c:p:29-40
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2018.03.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Büchele, Stefan, 2020. "Should we trust math preparatory courses? An empirical analysis on the impact of students’ participation and attendance on short- and medium-term effects," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 154-167.
    2. Tang, Tommy, 2023. "Approach to learning for assessment in economics," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 571-584.
    3. Stefan Buechele, 2019. "Should We Trust Math Preparatory Courses? An Empirical Analysis on the Impact of Students' Participation and Attendance on Short- and Medium-Term Effects," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201927, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    4. Siobhan Lucey & Maria Grydaki, 2023. "University attendance and academic performance: Encouraging student engagement," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 70(2), pages 180-199, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Class attendance; Subgroups; Fixed effects; Random effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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