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Adjusting Your Dreams? The Effect of School and Peers on Dropout Behaviour

Author

Listed:
  • Goux, Dominique

    (CREST-INSEE)

  • Gurgand, Marc

    (Paris School of Economics)

  • Maurin, Eric

    (Paris School of Economics)

Abstract

At the end of middle school, many low achieving students have to abandon hope of getting into selective high-school programs, which may be a source of disappointment and eventually lead them to dropout from high-school. Based on a randomized controlled trial, this paper shows that low-achieving students' aspirations can be made more realistic through a series of meetings facilitated by the school principals and that more realistic aspirations are followed by a significant reduction in grade repetition and high-school dropout. Building on detailed information on friendship networks within classes, we also find evidence that improved outcomes in treated classes encompass improved social interactions between low achieving students and their high achieving classmates.

Suggested Citation

  • Goux, Dominique & Gurgand, Marc & Maurin, Eric, 2014. "Adjusting Your Dreams? The Effect of School and Peers on Dropout Behaviour," IZA Discussion Papers 7948, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7948
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Molina, Teresa & Usui, Emiko, 2022. "Female Labor Market Opportunities and Gender Gaps in Aspirations," IZA Discussion Papers 15453, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Mekonnen, Daniel & Gerber, Nicolas, 2015. "The Effect of Aspirations on Agricultural Innovations in Rural Ethiopia," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211680, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. La Ferrara, Eliana & Carlana, Michela & Pinotti, Paolo, 2017. "Goals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children," CEPR Discussion Papers 12538, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Martin McGuigan & Sandra McNally & Gill Wyness, 2016. "Student Awareness of Costs and Benefits of Educational Decisions: Effects of an Information Campaign," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(4), pages 482-519.
    5. Marchenko, Maria, 2019. "Endogenous Shocks in Social Networks: Exam Failures and Friends' Future Performance," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 292, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    6. Dan Anderberg & Claudia Cerrone, 2017. "Investment in education under disappointment aversion," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(3), pages 1533-1540.
    7. Sandra McNally, 2016. "How important is career information and advice?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 317-317, December.
    8. Debraj Ray, 2016. "Aspirations and the Development Treadmill," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 309-323, July.
    9. Daniel Ayalew Mekonnen & Nicolas Gerber, 2017. "Aspirations and food security in rural Ethiopia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(2), pages 371-385, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    school dropout; tack choices; school aspiration; social networks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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