Peer Diversity, College Performance and Educational Choices

48 Pages Posted: 21 May 2019

See all articles by Arnaud Chevalier

Arnaud Chevalier

University of London - Royal Holloway College

Ingo E. Isphording

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Elena Lisauskaite

University of London

Date Written: March 2019

Abstract

We study the effect of ethno-linguistic classroom composition in college on educational performance, educational choices and post-graduation migration in a setting of quasi-random assignment to undergraduate seminars at a British university. We focus on two core variables: the share of non-English-speaking students and the diversity within the group of non-English-speaking students with respect to their linguistic background. English-speaking students are largely unaffected by the ethno-linguistic classroom composition.Non-English-speaking students benefit from a larger diversity in their performance and increase their interaction with English-speaking students. Educational choices of non-English-speaking students become more similar to choices of English-speaking students in response to more diverse classes. Post-graduation, non-English students who have been assigned to higher shares of non-English students in the compulsory stage are more likely to leave the country. Our results imply that current levels of internationalisation do not impose a threat to native education. Avoiding segregation along ethnic lines is key in providing education for an internationalised studentship.

Keywords: higher education, diversity, peer effects, foreign students

JEL Classification: I21, I24, J15

Suggested Citation

Chevalier, Arnaud and Isphording, Ingo E. and Lisauskaite, Elena, Peer Diversity, College Performance and Educational Choices (March 2019). IZA Discussion Paper No. 12202, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3390189 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3390189

Arnaud Chevalier

University of London - Royal Holloway College ( email )

Senate House
Malet Street
London, TW20 0EX
United Kingdom

Ingo E. Isphording (Contact Author)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

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

Elena Lisauskaite

University of London ( email )

Senate House
Malet Street
London, WC1E 7HU
United Kingdom

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