The deadly effect of high-stakes testing on teenagers with reference-dependent preferences

Liang Wang

No 40-13, Monash Economics Working Papers from Monash University, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper explains why suicidal tendency and test performance of teenagers may not be inversely related when individuals have reference-dependent preferences. Using panel survey data of South Korean secondary school students, I show that the relationship between suicidal ideation and test performance is consistent with reference-dependent preferences. When a student’s rank in the high-stakes College Scholastic Ability Test falls below her average ranks in prior national examinations, she exhibits greater suicidal tendency. The reference dependent effects, however, are absent for low-stakes in-school academic performance. The findings highlight the potential adverse consequences of disappointment in high-stakes testing.

Keywords: High-Stakes Testing; Reference-Dependent Preference; Suicide; Suicidal Ideation; Korea. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I21 I31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2013-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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