Do peers affect student achievement in China's secondary schools?
By: Weili Ding, Steven F. Lehrer.
Contributors: Lehrer, Steven F. 1972-; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 12305.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 12305.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 42
Subjects: Education, Secondary -- China -- Mathematical models; Academic achievement -- China -- Mathematical models; Peer pressure in children -- China -- Mathematical models
Description: "Peer effects have figured prominently in debates on school vouchers, desegregation, ability tracking and anti-poverty programs.  Compelling evidence of their existence remains scarce for plaguing endogeneity issues such as selection bias and the reflection problem.  This paper firmly establishes a link between peer performance and student achievement, using a unique dataset from China.  We find strong evidence that peer effects exist and operate in a positive and nonlinear manner; reducing the variation of peer performance increases achievement; and our semi-parametric estimates clarify the tradeoffs facing policymakers in exploiting positive peers effects to increase future achievement"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: "June 2006."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37).

Also available in PDF from the NBER world wide web site (www.nber.org).