Higher Education Policy in England: Three Empirical Studies of Influences on Enrollment Behavior.

College access;UK education policy;Quasi-experimental methods;Education;Social Sciences;Higher Education

Alcott, Benjamin MatthewVignoles, Anna F. ;

University of Michigan

关键词: College access;    UK education policy;    Quasi-experimental methods;    Education;    Social Sciences;    Higher Education;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/113517/bmalcott_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

This thesis consists of three stand-alone papers, each of which assesses a policy incentive that might alter the socio-economic gap in university enrollment in England; these incentives are encouragement, grade labels, and money, respectively. The rationale for examining these influences comes from a diverse range of theoretical backgrounds. In contrast, the analytical procedure used in each paper comes from the same empirical tradition, namely the Neyman-Rubin causal model, which quantifies the impact of a given incentive by determining counterfactual scenarios to estimate the difference in outcomes stemming from either the absence or the presence of a given incentive. As a set, these chapters demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of inequalities in access to higher education. By working from varied theoretical traditions, I provide evidence for a range of conceptualizations of behavior and influencing factors. My emphasis on socio-economic class disparities should not mask the fact that there are numerous sources of disadvantage that are likely to act in mutually dependent and re-enforcing ways. Yet, even when focusing on a single element of inequality, my findings demonstrate that many factors play a role in shaping disparities.