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Pre-University Courses and Student Performance

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  • Maria De Paola
  • Vincenzo Scoppa

Abstract

In this paper we investigate whether remedial courses, designed to fill in the gaps in basic skills, bring about any improvement in undergraduate student attainment. Our analysis is based on a project financed by the Regione Calabria, which provided a number of educational/training activities to all freshmen enrolled at the University of Calabria at the beginning of the academic year 2008-09. The problems related to self-selection were addressed both by using the very detailed information we have available on a large number of individual characteristics and identifying a control group consisting of students who had not participated in the activities for various incidental reasons. From our analysis emerges a positive effect of remedial courses on student performance during the first year of their academic career. These results prove robust to use of a matching estimator.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria De Paola & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2011. "Pre-University Courses and Student Performance," QA - Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi-Doria, Associazione Rossi Doria, issue 2, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:rar:journl:0213
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Thomas Fuchs & Ludger Wößmann, 2008. "What accounts for international differences in student prformance? A re-examination using PISA data," Studies in Empirical Economics, in: Christian Dustmann & Bernd Fitzenberger & Stephen Machin (ed.), The Economics of Education and Training, pages 209-240, Springer.
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    5. Alberto Abadie & David Drukker & Jane Leber Herr & Guido W. Imbens, 2004. "Implementing matching estimators for average treatment effects in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 4(3), pages 290-311, September.
    6. Ashenfelter, Orley & Card, David, 1985. "Using the Longitudinal Structure of Earnings to Estimate the Effect of Training Programs," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 67(4), pages 648-660, November.
    7. David Card & Alan B. Krueger, 1996. "School Resources and Student Outcomes: An Overview of the Literature and New Evidence from North and South Carolina," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 31-50, Fall.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Educational production function; Matching estimators;

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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