Peer and Leadership Effects in Academic and Athletic Performance

46 Pages Posted: 16 Aug 2006

See all articles by Scott E. Carrell

Scott E. Carrell

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics

Richard L. Fullerton

U.S. Air Force Academy - Department of Economics & Geography

Robert Gilchrist

affiliation not provided to SSRN

James E. West

Baylor University - Department of Economics

Date Written: August 14, 2006

Abstract

Many previous peer effects in higher education studies have assumed that peer groups form at the roommate, dorm floor, or dorm-level. Random assignment of students into squadrons at the US Air Force Academy allows us to identify the known peer group with which students spend a majority of their time interacting. Using the squadron as the peer group, we find peer effects of much larger magnitude than those found in the previous literature. For freshman students, a 1-point increase in peer grade point average (GPA) increases individual GPA by 0.64 to 0.73 grade points. Our results demonstrate the critical importance of properly identifying the relevant peer group when estimating peer effects. As evidence of this, we find that geographic proximity of students in dorm halls alone, as in Foster (forthcoming), does not generate measurable peer effects. We also find smaller peer effects at the roommate level, which virtually disappear once we control for the squadron-level peer effects. Our models correct for the endogeneity of individual and peer outcomes and rule out "common shocks" as the mechanism driving the peer effect.

Keywords: Peer Effects, Social Interactions

JEL Classification: Z13

Suggested Citation

Carrell, Scott E. and Fullerton, Richard L. and Gilchrist, Robert and West, James E., Peer and Leadership Effects in Academic and Athletic Performance (August 14, 2006). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=924516 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.924516

Scott E. Carrell (Contact Author)

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics ( email )

One Shields Drive
Davis, CA 95616-8578
United States

Richard L. Fullerton

U.S. Air Force Academy - Department of Economics & Geography ( email )

2354 Fairchild Dr
6K110
Air Force Academy, CO 80840-6299
United States

Robert Gilchrist

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

James E. West

Baylor University - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 98003
Waco, TX 76798-8003
United States
254-710-6126 (Phone)

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