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Teacher Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Pupil-fixed effects estimates for twelve countries

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher F. Hein

    (Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education, University of London)

  • Rebecca Allen

    (Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education, University of London)

Abstract

This paper estimates the relationship between teacher characteristics and teacher quality by applying point-in-time pupil-fixed effects. It uses a large cross-sectional dataset of grade 6 teaching and learning in 12 sub-Saharan countries. The findings are generally in line with the existing literature that finds such observable characteristics to be weak predictors that significantly differ in their effects across countries. Teacher subject competency test scores, the only consistent predictor of teacher quality across African countries in other studies, are only significant in the Seychelles. Contrary to US studies, we do not find consistent returns to teacher experience. Our estimates suggest that teacher characteristics are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. The analysis presented here provides comparable estimates of within-school variation of teacher quality and unique lower-bound estimates of teaching ability.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher F. Hein & Rebecca Allen, 2013. "Teacher Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Pupil-fixed effects estimates for twelve countries," DoQSS Working Papers 13-08, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    • Handle: RePEc:qss:dqsswp:1308
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jan Bietenbeck & Marc Piopiunik & Simon Wiederhold, 2018. "Africa’s Skill Tragedy: Does Teachers’ Lack of Knowledge Lead to Low Student Performance?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 53(3), pages 553-578.
    2. Nadir Altinok & Manos Antoninis & Phu Nguyen-Van, 2017. "Smarter Teachers, Smarter Pupils? Some New Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers of BETA 2017-35, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    3. Oscar David Marcenaro‐Gutierrez & Luis Alejandro Lopez‐Agudo, 2020. "Does Teacher Subject Knowledge Contribute to Student Academic Performance in Developing and Least Developed Countries?," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 88(3), pages 267-297, September.
    4. Gabrielle Wills, 2015. "A profile of the labour market for school principals in South Africa: Evidence to inform policy," Working Papers 12/2015, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teacher Quality; Teacher Characteristics; Africa; SACMEQ; Complementarity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

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