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Class attendance and academic performance: A subgroup analysis

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  • Dey, Ishita

Abstract

My paper contributes in two ways to the existing literature that examines the impact of attendance on exam performance. First, I analyze new, longitudinal data on students from a large public university in the US. Second, I investigate whether the average attendance effect varies by a student’s race, gender and level of preparedness for the course. My results suggest that attending class has a positive and significant effect on exam performance. This effect is robust across specifications. Additionally, I find that the average attendance effect is not uniform across subgroups of students. Males, Non-whites, students who have completed the prerequisite class at another institution, received a lower grade in the prerequisite, taken the prerequisite a while back, or have a lower overall GPA to begin with enjoy higher returns from attending class. The results suggest a role for policies that encourage attendance, preferably through active learning techniques.

Suggested Citation

  • Dey, Ishita, 2018. "Class attendance and academic performance: A subgroup analysis," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 29-40.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:28:y:2018:i:c:p:29-40
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2018.03.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Büchele, Stefan, 2020. "Should we trust math preparatory courses? An empirical analysis on the impact of students’ participation and attendance on short- and medium-term effects," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 154-167.
    2. Tang, Tommy, 2023. "Approach to learning for assessment in economics," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 571-584.
    3. Lin, Tin-Chun, 2024. "Can instruction in consumer choice theory in introduction to microeconomics benefit student learning in upper-level economics courses? The example of public finance," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    4. Stefan Buechele, 2019. "Should We Trust Math Preparatory Courses? An Empirical Analysis on the Impact of Students' Participation and Attendance on Short- and Medium-Term Effects," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201927, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    5. Siobhan Lucey & Maria Grydaki, 2023. "University attendance and academic performance: Encouraging student engagement," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 70(2), pages 180-199, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Class attendance; Subgroups; Fixed effects; Random effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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