Increased Instruction Hours and the Widening Gap in Student Performance

45 Pages Posted: 23 Mar 2016 Last revised: 30 Mar 2016

See all articles by Mathias Huebener

Mathias Huebener

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Susanne Kuger

Deutsches Institut für Internationale Paedagogische Forschung

Jan Marcus

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Division of Economics; University of Hamburg; German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Date Written: March 1, 2016

Abstract

Do increased instruction hours improve the performance of all students? Using PISA scores of students in ninth grade, we analyse the effect of a German education reform that increased weekly instruction hours by two hours (6.5 percent) over almost five years. In the additional time, students are taught new learning content. On average, the reform improves student performance. However, treatment effects are small and differ across the student performance distribution. While low-performing students do not benefit, high-performing students benefit the most. The findings suggest that increases in instruction hours can widen the gap between low- and high-performing students.

Keywords: Instruction time, student achievement, PISA, G8-high school reform, quantile regressions, curriculum, difference-in-differences

JEL Classification: I21, I24, I28, D04, J24

Suggested Citation

Huebener, Mathias and Kuger, Susanne and Marcus, Jan, Increased Instruction Hours and the Widening Gap in Student Performance (March 1, 2016). DIW Berlin Discussion Paper No. 1561, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2753493 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2753493

Mathias Huebener (Contact Author)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

Susanne Kuger

Deutsches Institut für Internationale Paedagogische Forschung ( email )

United States

Jan Marcus

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Division of Economics ( email )

Boltzmannstr. 20
Berlin 14195, 14195
GERMANY

University of Hamburg ( email )

Allende-Platz 1
Hamburg, 20146
Germany

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany
+49(0)3089789308 (Phone)

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