Bertoni, Marco, Brunello, Giorgio and Rocco, Lorenzo (2013) When the cat is near, the mice won't play: the effect of external examiners in Italian schools. CEP Discussion Papers (1191). Centre for Economic Performance, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
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Abstract
We use a natural experiment to show that the presence of an external examiner has both a direct and an indirect negative effect on the performance of monitored classes in standardized educational tests. The direct effect is the difference in the test performance between classes of the same school with and without external examiners. The indirect effect is the difference in performance between un-monitored classes in schools with an external examiner and un-monitored classes in schools without external monitoring. We find that the overall effect of having an external examiner in the class is to reduce the proportion of correct answers by 5.5 to 8.5 - depending on the grade and the test - with respect to classes in schools with no external monitor. The direct and indirect effects range between 4.3 and 6.6 and between 1.2 and 1.9 respectively. Using additional supporting evidence, we argue that the negative impact of the presence of an external examiner on measured test scores is due to reduced cheating (by students and/or teachers) rather than to the negative effects of anxiety or distraction from having a stranger in the class.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/series.asp?... |
| Additional Information: | © 2013 The Authors |
| Divisions: | Centre for Economic Performance |
| Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education |
| JEL classification: | C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C3 - Econometric Methods: Multiple; Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables; Endogenous Regressors > C31 - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies > H52 - Government Expenditures and Education I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Mar 2013 10:27 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2023 23:28 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/48918 |
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