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Family Background, School Choice, and Students' Academic Performance: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Author

Listed:
  • Harsha Aturupane

    (The World Bank)

  • Tomokazu Nomura

    (Aichi Gakuin University and Kobe University)

  • Mari Shojo

    (The World Bank)

Abstract

Sri Lanka has made great strides in increasing access to schooling. The country stands out as the only country in South Asia that has attained universal primary completion. Despite this past progress, Sri Lankan students still display weak performance. The key challenge now is to enhance the quality of education and improve student academic performance. This paper investigates how the student- and school-level factors are related to the academic performance of Sri Lankan grade 8 students in public schools. It also analyzes the factors related to school choice and how the school choice affects the students' performance. The results of the study suggest that there are large dispersion of average test score among the schools. Looking at the school type, Type 1AB schools outperforms the other types of schools. Students who come from a family with high socioeconomic status are more likely to attend Type 1AB school, and treatment effect of attending Type 1AB school on academic performance is considerably large. Socioeconomic status also explains a significant part of dispersion of academic performance within a school. However, the result does not clearly show the relation between the observable characteristics of the teachers and academic performance of the students.

Suggested Citation

  • Harsha Aturupane & Tomokazu Nomura & Mari Shojo, 2018. "Family Background, School Choice, and Students' Academic Performance: Evidence from Sri Lanka," Discussion Papers 1811, Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University, revised Sep 2018.
    • Handle: RePEc:koe:wpaper:1811
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    File URL: http://www.econ.kobe-u.ac.jp/RePEc/koe/wpaper/2018/1811.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2018
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    File URL: http://www.econ.kobe-u.ac.jp/RePEc/koe/wpaper/2018/1811R.pdf
    File Function: Revised version, 2018
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hanushek, Eric A, 1995. "Interpreting Recent Research on Schooling in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 10(2), pages 227-246, August.
    2. Paul W. Glewwe & Eric A. Hanushek & Sarah D. Humpage & Renato Ravina, 2011. "School Resources and Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2010," NBER Working Papers 17554, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Rozana Himaz, 2010. "Intrahousehold Allocation of Education Expenditure: The Case of Sri Lanka," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(2), pages 231-258, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Dias, Charitha & Abdullah, Muhammad & Lovreglio, Ruggiero & Sachchithanantham, Sumana & Rekatheeban, Markkandu & Sathyaprasad, I.M.S., 2022. "Exploring home-to-school trip mode choices in Kandy, Sri Lanka," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    education; academic performance; school choice; socioeconomic status;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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