Open AccessWho is sitting next to you? Peer effects inside the classroom
Author(s) -
Hong Sok Chul,
Lee Jungmin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
quantitative economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.062
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1759-7331
pISSN - 1759-7323
DOI - 10.3982/qe434
Subject(s) - peer effects , sitting , exploit , class (philosophy) , quantile , mathematics education , peer group , psychology , computer science , econometrics , mathematics , social psychology , medicine , artificial intelligence , computer security , pathology
We examine college students' interaction within classrooms and estimate peer effects on their academic performance. We exploit a unique seating rule at a university in South Korea, known as the fixed‐seat system. We propose a novel identification strategy based on students' repeated interaction. Our findings show that a student's performance in a class is significantly influenced by his or her next‐seat neighbor's ability. The effect is heterogeneous, varying by student and class characteristics. Also quantile regressions reveal that peer effects are significant among below‐average students and among those at the top end.