Learning about Academic Ability and the College Dropout Decision

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Stinebrickner, Todd; Stinebrickner, Ralph
• 署名单位: Western University (University of Western Ontario)
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/666525
• 发表日期: 2012
• 页码: 707-748
• 关键词: discrete-choice; expectations; returns; uncertainty; education; GENDER; women

摘要

Research examining the educational attainment of low-income students has often focused on financial factors such as credit constraints. We use unique longitudinal data to provide direct evidence about a prominent alternative explanation-that departures from school arise as students learn about their academic ability or grade performance. Examining college dropout, we find that this explanation plays a very prominent role; our simulations indicate that dropout between the first and second years would be reduced by 40% if no learning occurred about grade performance/academic ability. The article also contributes directly to the understanding of gender differences in educational attainment.