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Peer Effects: Evidence from Secondary School Transition in England

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  • Gibbons, Stephen

    (London School of Economics)

  • Telhaj, Shqiponja

    (London School of Economics)

Abstract

We study the effects of peers on school achievement, with detailed data on children making the same primary to secondary school transition in consecutive years in England. Our estimates show that secondary school composition, on entry at age 12, affects achievement at age 14, although the effect sizes are small. These secondary school peer effects originate in peer characteristics encapsulated in family background and early achievements (age 7), rather than subsequent test score gains in primary school. Our specifications control for individual unobservables and school fixed effects and trends, rendering peer group composition conditionally uncorrelated with student's characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Gibbons, Stephen & Telhaj, Shqiponja, 2012. "Peer Effects: Evidence from Secondary School Transition in England," IZA Discussion Papers 6455, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6455
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sanchis-Guarner, Rosa & Montalbán, José & Weinhardt, Felix, 2025. "Home broadband and human capital formation," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
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    5. Adrian Mehic, 2024. "Peer desirability and academic achievement," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 525-542, June.
    6. Olivier Monso & Denis Fougère & Pauline Givord & Claudine Pirus, 2019. "Les camarades influencent-ils la réussite et le parcours des élèves ? Une revue de littérature sur les effets de pairs dans l’enseignement primaire et secondaire," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-03456953, HAL.
    7. Kiss, David, 2013. "The impact of peer achievement and peer heterogeneity on own achievement growth: Evidence from school transitions," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 58-65.
    8. Stephen Gibbons & Olmo Silva & Felix Weinhardt, 2017. "Neighbourhood Turnover and Teenage Attainment," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 746-783.
    9. McVicar, Duncan & Moschion, Julie & Ryan, Chris, 2018. "Achievement effects from new peers: Who matters to whom?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 154-166.
    10. Alexandra de Gendre & Nicolás Salamanca, 2020. "On the Mechanisms of Ability Peer Effects," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2020n19, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    11. Silvia Mendolia & Alfredo R Paloyo & Ian Walker, 2018. "Heterogeneous effects of high school peers on educational outcomes," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 70(3), pages 613-634.
    12. Miren Lafourcade & Florian Mayneris, 2017. "En Finir avec les ghettos urbains ?," Post-Print halshs-01884340, HAL.
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    14. Shqiponja Telhaj, 2018. "Do social interactions in the classroom improve academic attainment?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 440-440, June.
    15. Chris Ryan, 2017. "Measurement of Peer Effects," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 50(1), pages 121-129, March.
    16. Andy Dickerson & Konstantina Maragkou & Steven McIntosh, 2018. "The causal effect of secondary school peers on educational aspirations," CVER Research Papers 017, Centre for Vocational Education Research.
    17. Manon Garrouste & Camille Hémet, 2024. "Neighbor Effects and Early Track Choices," Working Papers halshs-04655509, HAL.
    18. d'Este, Rocco & Einiö, Elias, 2021. "Beyond Black and White: The Impact of Asian Peers on Scholastic Achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    19. Li, Tao & Han, Li & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2014. "Encouraging classroom peer interactions: Evidence from Chinese migrant schools," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 29-45.
    20. Ryan Yeung & Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, 2016. "Endogenous peer effects: Fact or fiction?," The Journal of Educational Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 109(1), pages 37-49, January.
    21. Liouaeddine, Mariem & Bijou, Mohammed & Naji, Faïrouz, 2017. "The Main Determinants of Moroccan Students' Outcomes," MPRA Paper 80247, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Shure, Nikki, 2021. "Non-cognitive peer effects in secondary education," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    23. Claudia Prieto-Latorre & Oscar D. Marcenaro-Gutierrez & Luis Alejandro Lopez-Agudo, 2021. "The Role of Catchment Areas on School Segregation by Economic, Social and Cultural Characteristics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1013-1044, December.
    24. Richard Murphy & Felix Weinhardt, 2020. "Top of the Class: The Importance of Ordinal Rank," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 87(6), pages 2777-2826.
    25. Duncan McVicar & Julie Moschion & Chris Ryan, 2013. "Right Peer, Right Now? Endogenous Peer Effects and Achievement in Victorian Primary Schools," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2013n22, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.

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