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Discrimination against students with foreign backgrounds: evidence from grading in Swedish public high schools

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  • Bjorn Tyrefors Hinnerich
  • Erik H�glin
  • Magnus Johannesson

Abstract

We rigorously test for discrimination against students with foreign backgrounds in high school grading in Sweden. We analyse a random sample of national tests in the Swedish language graded both non-blindly by the student's own teacher and blindly without any identifying information. The increase in the test score due to non-blind grading is significantly higher for students with a Swedish background. This discrimination effect is sizeable, about 10% of the mean or 20% of the standard deviation of the blind test score.

Suggested Citation

  • Bjorn Tyrefors Hinnerich & Erik H�glin & Magnus Johannesson, 2015. "Discrimination against students with foreign backgrounds: evidence from grading in Swedish public high schools," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 660-676, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:edecon:v:23:y:2015:i:6:p:660-676
    DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2014.899562
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    2. Hanson, Andrew, 2017. "Do college admissions counselors discriminate? Evidence from a correspondence-based field experiment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 86-96.
    3. Höckel, Lisa, 2019. "Speaking the same language - The effect of foreign origin teachers on students’ language skills," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203638, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Jansson, Joakim & Tyrefors, Björn, 2018. "Gender Grading Bias at Stockholm University: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from an Anonymous Grading Reform," Working Paper Series 1226, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    5. De Paola, Maria & Brunello, Giorgio, 2016. "Education as a Tool for the Economic Integration of Migrants," IZA Discussion Papers 9836, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Andersland, Leroy, 2017. "The Extent of Bias in Grading," Working Papers in Economics 10/17, University of Bergen, Department of Economics.
    7. Holmlund, Helena & Rainer, Helmut & Reich, Patrick, 2023. "All geared towards success? Cultural origins of gender gaps in student achievement," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 222-242.
    8. Tomáš Želinský, 2021. "Intertemporal Choices of Children and Adults from Poor Roma Communities: A Case Study from Slovakia," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(4), pages 378-405, July.

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