Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6895
Authors: Johan NM Lagerlf; Andrew J Seltzer
Abstract: This paper examines the effects of remedial mathematics on performance in university-level economics courses using a natural experiment. We study exam results prior and subsequent to the implementation of a remedial mathematics course that was compulsory for a sub-set of students and unavailable for the others, controlling for background variables. We find that, consistent with previous studies, the level of and performance in secondary-school mathematics have strong predictive power on students? performance at university-level economics. However, we find relatively little evidence for a positive effect of remedial mathematics on student performance.
Keywords: differences-in-differences; quantile regressions; remedial mathematics; teaching of economics
JEL Codes: A22; I20
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| confounding factors (student motivation, quality of teaching) (I21) | students' performance in economics courses (A22) |
| FOM course (Y20) | students' performance in economics courses (A22) |
| prior mathematics background (B16) | students' performance in economics courses (A22) |
| FOM course (Y20) | average of first-year grades (C29) |
| FOM course (Y20) | performance in second or third-year courses (D29) |