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Essays on the efficiency of schools and student achievement

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  • Kirjavainen, Tanja

Abstract

This thesis consists of five essays that investigate the efficiency differences of schools, explain the differences in efficiency and student achievement and take a further step by looking inside schools with differing efficiency. In the studies presented in the essays, efficiency differences were estimated with various methods, both parametric and non-parametric, and at different points in time using both cross section and panel data. The use of panel data, in particular, brings new possibilities to the analysis and understanding of efficiency differences. The stability of the efficiency estimations was also tested with several models. Information on this matter is a prerequisite if efficiency differences are to be studied further. The causes of inefficiency were examined in this thesis with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The use of both of these methods broadened the scope of earlier studies and provided useful information on their advantages and disadvantages in analysing causes of efficiency. The application of different approaches also provided a richer description and understanding of the case schools, their processes and factors affecting efficiency. Finnish general upper secondary schools provided a good empirical context to analyse efficiency differences between schools and factors affecting student achievement, because the schooling is fairly short, lasting on average for three years, information is available on the earlier school achievement of the students as well as their family background, and most importantly, it concludes with a nation-wide matriculation examination. The empirical analyses in this thesis are based on register data on Finnish general upper secondary schools, their students and students' parents in 1991, 1990-1998 and 2000-2004. The register data are supplemented with survey data from 73 schools in 1995 and 27 semi-structured interviews of principals and teachers in 9 schools in 1999. The results of the studies show that there were efficiency differences between Finnish general upper secondary schools. The size of the differences depended on the method and model used for calculating the efficiency. The rankings of schools based on efficiency scores were also fairly unstable. Concerning organizational practices, very few of them were related to efficiency. The results of case studies showed that schools with caring views about the students, professional staff relations, participative management and decision making, and curriculum work which was perceived as a way to develop school and own work were more efficient. In addition to investigating efficiency differences, the studies in this thesis examined the influence of the comprehensive school grade point average, family background, school resources, length of studies and decentralization of test taking on performance in the matriculation examination with different methods and data and at different points in time. The results provided causal information on the effect of changes in school resources on student achievement and they showed that student achievement was not affected by the changes in resources. New evidence was also provided on the effect of lengthening of studies and decentralization of test taking in the matriculation examination. According to results, schools with longer length of studies and higher rate of decentralization performed worse in the matriculation examination.

Suggested Citation

  • Kirjavainen, Tanja, 2009. "Essays on the efficiency of schools and student achievement," Research Reports P53, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:fer:resrep:p53
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    File URL: https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/148888
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alan B. Krueger, 1999. "Experimental Estimates of Education Production Functions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(2), pages 497-532.
    2. Eide, Eric & Showalter, Mark H., 1998. "The effect of school quality on student performance: A quantile regression approach," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 345-350, March.
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    4. 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.
    5. Caroline M. Hoxby, 1998. "The Effects of Class Size and Composition on Student Achievement: New Evidence from Natural Population Variation," NBER Working Papers 6869, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    7. Hanushek, Eric A, 1986. "The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1141-1177, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kalervo Friberg, 2013. "An Educational–Vocational Intervention," SAGE Open, , vol. 3(3), pages 21582440134, July.
    2. Kässi, Otto, 2012. "Uncertainty and Heterogeneity in Returns to Education: Evidence from Finland," MPRA Paper 48738, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 01 Aug 2013.
    3. Moisio, Antti, 2012. "Rethinking local government: Essays on municipal reform," Research Reports P61, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    4. K. Kounetas & G. Androulakis & M. Kaisari & G. Manousakis, 2023. "Educational reforms and secondary school's efficiency performance in Greece: a bootstrap DEA and multilevel approach," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-29, March.
    5. Kalervo Friberg, 2020. "Efficacy of Work–Life Orientation: Region and Parents’ Education as Background Factors," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.
    6. Heikki Pursiainen & Mika Kortelainen & Jenni Pääkkönen, 2014. "Impact of School Quality on Educational Attainment - Evidence from Finnish High Schools," ERSA conference papers ersa14p711, European Regional Science Association.
    7. Tanja Kirjavainen, 2012. "Efficiency of Finnish general upper secondary schools: an application of stochastic frontier analysis with panel data," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 343-364, April.
    8. Kalervo Friberg, 2013. "Loci of Causality and Orientation in Occupational and Educational Choices," SAGE Open, , vol. 3(2), pages 21582440134, June.
    9. Korkeamäki, Ossi, 2012. "Essays on labour demand and wage formation," Research Reports P60, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    10. Moisio, Antti, 2010. "Local public sector in transition: A Nordic perspective," Research Reports P56, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    11. Tuomo Suhonen & Jaakko Pehkonen & Hannu Tervo, 2011. "Spatial variation in the development of the return to university education in Finland, 1970-2004," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1351, European Regional Science Association.

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