This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The effects of attendance on academic performance: panel data evidence for Introductory Microeconomics

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Luca Stanca (Economics Department - University of Milan Bicocca)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This paper presents new evidence on the effects of attendance on academic performance. We exploit a large panel data set for Introductory Microeconomics students to explicitly take into account the effect of unobservable factors correlated with attendance, such as ability, effort and motivation. We find that neither proxy variables nor instrumental variables provide a viable solution to the omitted variable bias. Panel estimators indicate that attendance has a positive and significant impact on performance. Lecture and classes have a similar effect on performance individually, although their impact cannot be identified separately. Overall, the results indicate that, after controlling for unobservable student characteristics, teaching has an important independent effect on learning.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://129.3.20.41/eps/hew/papers/0411/0411003.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by EconWPA in its series HEW with number 0411003.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 29 pages
Date of creation: 10 Nov 2004
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwphe:0411003

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 29
Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://129.3.20.41

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (EconWPA).

Related research
Keywords: academic achievement; attendance; panel data;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Rodgers, Joan R, 2002. "Encouraging Tutorial Attendance at University Did Not Improve Performance," Australian Economic Papers, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(3), pages 255-66, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Daniel R. Marburger, 2001. "Absenteeism and Undergraduate Exam Performance," Journal of Economic Education, Helen Dwight Reid Foundation, vol. 32(2), pages 99-109. [Downloadable!]
  3. Pritchett, Lant & Filmer, Deon, 1999. "What education production functions really show: a positive theory of education expenditures," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 223-239, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Dennis Coates, 2003. "Education production functions using instructional time as an input," Education Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 273-292, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Ann Kirby & Brendan McElroy, 2003. "The Effect of Attendance on Grade for First Year Economics Students in University College Cork," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 34(3), pages 311–326. [Downloadable!]
  6. Dolton, Peter & Marcenaro, Oscar D. & Navarro, Lucia, 2003. "The effective use of student time: a stochastic frontier production function case study," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 547-560, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Durden, Garey C & Ellis, Larry V, 1995. "The Effects of Attendance on Student Learning in Principles of Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(2), pages 343-46, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Siegfried, John J & Fels, Rendigs, 1979. "Research on Teaching College Economics: A Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 923-69, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Edward P. Lazear, 2001. "Educational Production," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 116(3), pages 777-803, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Massimiliano Bratti & Stefano Staffolani, 2002. "Student time allocation and educational production functions," HEW 0207001, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Petra E. Todd & Kenneth I. Wolpin, 2003. "On The Specification and Estimation of The Production Function for Cognitive Achievement," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(485), pages F3-F33, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Romer, David, 1993. "Do Students Go to Class? Should They?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 7(3), pages 167-74, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Kwok Tong Soo & Ching-Fu Chen, 2009. "Some university students are more equal than others: Evidence from England," Working Papers 006024, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department. [Downloadable!]
  2. Kwok Tong Soo, 2009. "Estimating the production function of university students," Working Papers 006023, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department. [Downloadable!]
  3. Tsui-Fang Lin & Jennjou Chen, 2006. "Cumulative class attendance and exam performance," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 13(14), pages 937-942, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Jennjou Chen & Tsui-Fang Lin, 2008. "Does Downloading PowerPoint Slides Before the Lecture Lead to Better Student Achievement?," International Review of Economic Education, Economics Network, University of Bristol, vol. 7(2), pages 9-18. [Downloadable!]
  5. Christopher N. Annala & Shuo Chen & Daniel R. Strang, . "The Use of PRS in Introductory Microeconomics: Some Evidence on Performance and Attendance," Journal for Economic Educators, Middle Tennessee State University, Business and Economic Research Center. [Downloadable!]
  6. Jennjou Chen & Tsui-Fang Lin, 2008. "Class Attendance and Exam Performance: A Randomized Experiment," Journal of Economic Education, Helen Dwight Reid Foundation, vol. 39(3), pages 213-227. [Downloadable!]
  7. Pedro Martins & Ian Walker, 2006. "Student Achievement and University Classes: Effects of Attendance, Size, Peers, and Teachers," IZA Discussion Papers 2490, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  8. Arulampalam, Wiji & Naylor, Robin A. & Jeremy Smith, 2007. "Am I missing something? The effects of absence from class on student performance," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 820, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Oskar R. Harmon & James Lambrinos, 2008. "Are Online Exams an Invitation to Cheat?," Journal of Economic Education, Helen Dwight Reid Foundation, vol. 39(2), pages 116-125. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? There are over 21000 authors registered on RePEc Author Service.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-19.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.