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Disentangling Motivation and Study Productivity as Drivers of Adolescent Human Capital Formation: Evidence from a Field Experiment and Structural Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Cotton
  • Brent R. Hickman
  • John A. List
  • Joseph Price
  • Sutanuka Roy

Abstract

We estimate a structural model of endogenous short-run human capital investment focusing on a learner’s leisure-study choices, influenced by external costs/benefits and two key internal factors: learning productivity and willingness to engage in study activity. Our novel self-investment framework rigorously quantifies models of learning that have existed in the psychology literature for decades. Our identification strategy combines panel data and study-incentive variation to point identify student-level parameters. Empirically, we find that idiosyncratic productivity and motivation traits are uncorrelated, and that low productivity is the stronger predictor of academic struggles, not low motivation. We investigate the influence of external factors on student learning and find that school quality affects it through 3 channels: augmenting productivity, augmenting skill production TFP, and by altering the mapping between learning activity and permanent skill gains.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Cotton & Brent R. Hickman & John A. List & Joseph Price & Sutanuka Roy, 2020. "Disentangling Motivation and Study Productivity as Drivers of Adolescent Human Capital Formation: Evidence from a Field Experiment and Structural Analysis," NBER Working Papers 27995, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27995
    Note: ED LS
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. John A. List & Fatemeh Momeni & Yves Zenou, 2020. "The Social Side of Early Human Capital Formation: Using a Field Experiment to Estimate the Causal Impact of Neighborhoods," Working Papers 2020-187, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    2. Burgess, Simon & Metcalfe, Robert & Sadoff, Sally, 2021. "Understanding the response to financial and non-financial incentives in education: Field experimental evidence using high-stakes assessments," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    3. Lenka Fiala & John Eric Humphries & Juanna Schrøter Joensen & Uditi Karna & John A. List & Gregory F. Veramendi, 2022. "How Early Adolescent Skills and Preferences Shape Economics Education Choices," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 609-613, May.
    4. Chuan, Amanda & List, John & Samek, Anya, 2021. "Do financial incentives aimed at decreasing interhousehold inequality increase intrahousehold inequality?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    5. John A. List & Fatemeh Momeni & Yves Zenou, 2020. "The Social Side of Early Human Capital Formation: Using a Field Experiment to Estimate the Causal Impact of Neighborhoods," Working Papers 2020-187, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    6. Marco Castillo & John A. List & Ragan Petrie & Anya Samek, 2024. "Detecting Drivers of Behavior at an Early Age: Evidence from a Longitudinal Field Experiment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(12), pages 3942-3977.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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