Compulsory class attendance versus autonomy

We estimate the effect of an increased autonomy policy for higher-performing students on short- and longer-term school outcomes. We exploit an institutional setting with high demand for autonomy. Identification comes from a nationwide natural experiment that allowed higher-achieving students to miss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of economic behavior & organization Vol. 212; pp. 935 - 981
Main Authors Goulas, Sofoklis, Griselda, Silvia, Megalokonomou, Rigissa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.08.2023
Subjects
Learning autonomy
Natural experiment
Returns to education
School attendance
Learning autonomy
School attendance
Returns to education
I26
Natural experiment
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0167-2681
1879-1751
DOI10.1016/j.jebo.2023.06.018

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Summary:We estimate the effect of an increased autonomy policy for higher-performing students on short- and longer-term school outcomes. We exploit an institutional setting with high demand for autonomy. Identification comes from a nationwide natural experiment that allowed higher-achieving students to miss 44 percent more classes with parental approval. Using a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach, we find that allowing higher-achieving students to skip more classes increases their performance in subjects that matter for university admission and improves the quality of their enrolled college degree. Top-performing students and students in more academically diverse classrooms demand more autonomy when it is offered.
ISSN:0167-2681
1879-1751
DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2023.06.018