The Impact of Letter Grades on Student Course Selection and Major Choice: Evidence from a Regression-Discontinuity Design

Autor/inn/en	Main, Joyce; Ost, Ben
Institution	Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI)
Titel	The Impact of Letter Grades on Student Course Selection and Major Choice: Evidence from a Regression-Discontinuity Design
Quelle	(2011), (41 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Undergraduate Study; Grades (Scholastic); Context Effect; Course Selection (Students); Majors (Students); Data Collection; Scores; Introductory Courses; Student Characteristics; Transcripts (Written Records); Academic Records; Cutting Scores; Evidence; Probability; Regression (Statistics); Academic Achievement + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Grundstudium; Notenspiegel; Course selection; Student; Students; Kurswahl; Data capture; Datensammlung; Einführungskurs; College; Colleges; University; Universities; Publication; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Universität; Akademieschrift; Publikation; Evidenz; Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung; Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie; Regression; Regressionsanalyse; Schulleistung
Abstract	This research examines the effect of undergraduate course letter grades on future course selection and major choice. Using a Regression-Discontinuity design, we exploit the fact that the probability of earning a particular letter grade jumps discontinuously around letter grade cutoffs. This variation in letter grades allows us to isolate the impact of letter grades on major choice and course selection. We collect original numerical scores for 65 introductory courses across 6 fields and merge this with administrative data including student-level characteristics and transcripts. Since grading cutoffs exist throughout the distribution of scores, we are able to estimate local treatment effects at a variety of localities to examine the distribution of treatment effects. Contrary to the findings of the previous literature, we find no evidence that students respond to their letter grades in terms of course or major choices. (Contains 8 figures, 6 tables and 6 footnotes.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Cornell Higher Education Research Institute. ILR-Cornell University 273 Ives Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. Tel: 607-255-4424; Web site: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/cheri
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10