Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/192885 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 275
Publisher: 
University of Zurich, Department of Economics, Zurich
Abstract: 
We exploit Italian law DPR 81/2009, which determines class composition, as an instrument to identify the causal effect of grouping students of different grades into a single class (multigrading) on children cognitive achievement. This article focuses on 7-year-old students - those at the beginning of their formal education. Results suggest that attendance in multigrade classes versus single-grade classes increases students' performance on standardized tests by 15-20 percent of a standard deviation. The positive impact of multigrading only appears for children sharing their class with peers from higher grades and is relatively stronger for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Subjects: 
Multigrade classes
child development
peer effects
rural areas
JEL: 
I26
I28
R53
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
789.17 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.