The Effect of Teacher Gender on Student Achievement in Primary School: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

38 Pages Posted: 14 Apr 2012

See all articles by Heather Antecol

Heather Antecol

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Ozkan Eren

Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Department of Economics

Serkan Ozbeklik

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance; Claremont McKenna College

Abstract

This paper attempts to reconcile the contradictory results found in the economics literature and the educational psychology literature with respect to the academic impact of gender dynamics in the classroom. Specifically, using data from a randomized experiment, we look at the effects of having a female teacher on the math test scores of students in primary school. We find that female students who were assigned to a female teacher without a strong math background suffered from lower math test scores at the end of the academic year. This negative effect however not only seems to disappear but it becomes (marginally) positive for female students who were assigned to a female teacher with a strong math background. Finally, we do not find any effect of having a female teacher on male students' test scores (math or reading) or female students' reading test scores. Taken together, our results tentatively suggest that the findings in these two streams of the literature are in fact consistent if one takes into account a teacher's academic background in math.

Keywords: teacher gender, student achievement, random assignment

JEL Classification: I21, J24

Suggested Citation

Antecol, Heather and Eren, Ozkan and Ozbeklik, Serkan, The Effect of Teacher Gender on Student Achievement in Primary School: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment. IZA Discussion Paper No. 6453, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2039639 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2039639

Heather Antecol (Contact Author)

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance ( email )

500 E. Ninth Street
Claremont, CA 91711
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Ozkan Eren

Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Department of Economics ( email )

Dallas, TX 75275
United States
(214) 768-3957 (Phone)
(214) 768-1821 (Fax)

Serkan Ozbeklik

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance ( email )

500 E. Ninth St.
Claremont, CA 91711-6420
United States

Claremont McKenna College ( email )

Robert Day School of Economics and Finance
Claremont, CA 91711
United States

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