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Top-performing Girls are more Impactful Peer Role Models than Boys, Teachers Say

Author

Listed:
  • Sofoklis Goulas

    (Economic Studies, Brookings Institution, USA, and IZA)

  • Rigissa Megalokonomou

    (Department of Economics, Monash University, Australia, IZA, and CESifo)

  • Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos

    (Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University, Australia)

Abstract

We examine teachers’ perceptions toward top performing students and their role model influence on others in an online survey-based experiment. We randomly expose teachers to profiles of top performing students and inquire whether they consider the profiled top performers to be influential role models. These profiles varied by gender and field of study (STEM or Non-STEM). Our findings show that teachers perceive top-performing girls as more influential peer role models compared to top-performing boys (βˆ = 0.289; p

Suggested Citation

  • Sofoklis Goulas & Rigissa Megalokonomou & Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos, 2025. "Top-performing Girls are more Impactful Peer Role Models than Boys, Teachers Say," Monash Economics Working Papers 2025-02, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mos:moswps:2025-02
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    teacher gender stereotypes; randomized controlled trial; peer role models; STEM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General

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