The Heterogeneous Effects of Early Track Assignment on Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills

Arbeitspapier

Previous findings on (fleeting) relative age effects in school suggest that, given innate ability, too few younger and too many older students attend academic tracks. Using a regression discontinuity design around school-specific admission thresholds, we estimate the cognitive and non-cognitive effects of track assignment at the achievement margin, across relative age. We find that attending the higher track does not affect cognitive outcomes at any relative age. For older students, attending the higher track increases perseverance, need for achievement, and emotional stability. The results suggest that older students compensate lower ability (given high track attendance) with higher effort.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper ; No. TI 2019-038/V

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Analysis of Education
• Subject: educational economics ; school tracking ; relative age ; non-cognitive skills

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Cotofan, Maria ; Diris, Ron ; Schils, Trudie
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Tinbergen Institute
• (where): Amsterdam and Rotterdam
• (when): 2019

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/205328
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET