Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College

Gender, competitiveness, and socialization at a young age: evidence from a matrilineal and a patriarchal society

Benjamin Elsner (), Ingo E Isphording and Ulf Zölitz

The Economic Journal, 2021, vol. 131, issue 640, 3182-3206

Abstract: In this paper we study how a student's ordinal rank in a peer group affects performance and specialisation choices in university. By exploiting data with repeated random assignment of students to teaching sections, we find that a higher rank increases performance and the probability of choosing related follow-up courses and majors. We document two types of dynamic effect. First, earlier ranks are less important than later ranks. Second, responses to rank changes are asymmetric: improvements in rank raise performance, while decreases in rank have no effect. Rank effects partially operate through students’ expectations about future grades.

Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement Rank Affects Performance and Major Choices in College (2021)
Working Paper: Achievement rank affects performance and major choices in college (2018)
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