Spillover Effects of Maternal Education in Elementary Classroom: Evidence from Vietnam

This paper examines the spillover effects of maternal education in elementary classrooms in the context of Vietnam. Drawing from the sample of students who are randomly assigned to classrooms, we find that exposure to classmates whose mothers are well-educated positively influences student achievement. The heterogeneity analyses reveal that the magnitude of the effects tends to be larger for students from advantaged backgrounds. Exploring the mechanisms, we find that higher academic aspiration and motivation as well as an improved learning environment are potential pathways to the favorable impacts of peers' maternal education.