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Teacher characteristics and student performance in India: A pupil fixed effects approach

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  • Geeta Gandhi Kingdon
Abstract
This paper exploits unique data that permits the matching of students` test scores in different subjects to the teachers that teach those subjects. Within-pupil (across-subject, rather than across-time) variation is used to examine whether the characteristics of different subject teachers are related to a students` marks across subjects. There are four main contributions. Firstly the findings, using a credible methodology for identification, give only modest grounds for optimism about the effects of teacher policies. A teacher`s possession of Masters level qualification and pre-service training have well identified but small effects on student achievement. While a teacher`s union membership strongly reduces pupil achievement, union membership is typically not a policy variable. The bulk of the variation in student achievement is a school fixed effect and observed school characteristics explain less than 30% of this fixed effect. The second main contribution of the paper is to highlight the importance of `controlling for` the non-random matching of students to schools and teachers. The finding that within-pupil effects of many teacher variables differ very significantly from the across school effects indicates that much of the extant achievement production function literature - which perforce relies on across school estimation - leads to incorrect inferences because it confounds the effect of unobserved school and pupil heterogeneity with the effect of teacher characteristics. This underlines the importance of finding credible sources of within school and preferably within-student variation in future research. Thirdly, the paper showcases the use of an across-subject estimator of the achievement production function which is similar to the more familiar panel data approach but which circumvents the problem of non-random attrition of students/teachers over time and the problem of non-random matching of students to teachers, and which permits the identification of teacher effects in cross-section data that are readily available. Finally, a school fixed effects equation of teacher pay shows that while teacher compensation is efficient in some respects, i.e. teachers are rewarded for characteristics that raise student achievement, it is not so in other respects. In particular, union membership is substantially rewarded when in fact it is associated with signficantly lower student achievement, raising the question whether teachers` right to unionize pits teacher interests against student interests.

Suggested Citation

  • Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, 2006. "Teacher characteristics and student performance in India: A pupil fixed effects approach," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-059, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:gprg-wps-059
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kingdon, Geeta, 1996. "The Quality and Efficiency of Private and Public Education: A Case-Study of Urban India," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 58(1), pages 57-82, February.
    2. Duflo, Esther & Hanna, Rema, 2005. "Monitoring Works: Getting Teachers to Come to School," CEPR Discussion Papers 5426, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    8. Alan B. Krueger, 1999. "Experimental Estimates of Education Production Functions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(2), pages 497-532.
    9. Eric A. Hanushek & John F. Kain & Steven G. Rivkin, 1999. "Do Higher Salaries Buy Better Teachers?," NBER Working Papers 7082, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Charles T. Clotfelter & Helen F. Ladd & Jacob L. Vigdor, 2006. "Teacher-Student Matching and the Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 41(4).
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    12. Pritchett, Lant & Murgai, Rinku, 2007. "Teacher Compensation: Can Decentralization to Local Bodies Take India from the Perfect Storm Through Troubled Waters to Clear Sailing?," India Policy Forum, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 3(1), pages 123-177.
    13. Thomas S. Dee, 2005. "A Teacher Like Me: Does Race, Ethnicity, or Gender Matter?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(2), pages 158-165, May.
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    15. Eric A. Hanushek, 2003. "The Failure of Input-Based Schooling Policies," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(485), pages 64-98, February.
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    1. Kingdon, Geeta & Teal, Francis, 2010. "Teacher unions, teacher pay and student performance in India: A pupil fixed effects approach," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 278-288, March.
    2. Aslam, Monazza & Kingdon, Geeta, 2011. "What can teachers do to raise pupil achievement?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 559-574, June.
    3. Singh, Renu & Sarkar, Sudipa, 2015. "Does teaching quality matter? Students learning outcome related to teaching quality in public and private primary schools in India," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 153-163.
    4. Rajesh Raj, S.N. & Sen, Kunal & Annigeri, Vinod B. & Kulkarni, Arun K. & Revankar, D.R., 2015. "Joyful learning? The effects of a school intervention on learning outcomes in Karnataka," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 183-195.
    5. Kin Bing Wu & Pete Goldschmidt & Christy Kim Boscardin & Deepa Sankar, 2009. "International benchmarking and determinants of mathematics achievement in two Indian states," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 395-411.
    6. Pal, Sarmistha & Kingdon, Geeta G., 2010. "Can Private School Growth Foster Universal Literacy? Panel Evidence from Indian Districts," IZA Discussion Papers 5274, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Nadir Altinok & Geeta Kingdon, 2012. "New Evidence on Class Size Effects: A Pupil Fixed Effects Approach," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 74(2), pages 203-234, 04.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teacher Salaries; Student Achievement; Productivity; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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