1. Mind the Gap: Measuring Academic Underachievement Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis
- Author
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Mazrekaj, Deni, Witte, Kristof De, Triebs, Thomas P., Leerstoel Lippe, Leerstoel Lippe, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, and RS: GSBE MGSoG
- Subjects
academic underachievement ,Science & Technology ,Stochastic Frontier Analysis ,IDENTIFICATION ,TEACHERS ,Rehabilitation ,TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY ,class size ,EFFICIENCY ESTIMATION ,Social Sciences ,EDUCATION ,Education & Educational Research ,CLASS-SIZE-REDUCTION ,GIFTED STUDENTS ,Education, Special ,SCHOOL ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,gifted pupils ,STUDENT-ACHIEVEMENT ,HONG-KONG ,Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Abstract
We propose using Stochastic Frontier Analysis to estimate pupils’ academic underachievement. We model underachievement as the gap between expected achievement and actual achievement, not due to a learning disability. Our data are a panel for 2,228 Belgian pupils observed over 6 years of primary education. We found that the average underachievement gap is 23.5%. That is, the average pupil does not exploit about one fourth of their potential. Gifted pupils appear to underachieve as much as non-gifted pupils. We also found that class size is a determinant of underachievement. The association between class size and underachievement is non-monotonic, with an underachievement minimum at a class size of about 20 pupils.
- Published
- 2022