Do work placements improve final year academic performance or do high-calibre students choose to do work placements?

Abstract

This study investigates whether the completion of an optional sandwich work placement enhances student performance in final year examinations. Using Propensity Score Matching, our analysis departs from the literature by controlling for self-selection. Previous studies may have overestimated the impact of sandwich work placements on performance because it might be the case that high-calibre students choose to go on placement. Our results, utilising a large student data set, indicate that self-selection is present, but the effects of a placement on student performance still have an impact. This robust finding is found to be of a remarkably similar magnitude across two UK universities.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1073249
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School > Economics, Finance & Entrepreneurship
College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Centre for Critical Inquiry into Society and Culture (CCISC)
College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School > Operations & Information Management
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School > Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Studies in Higher Education on 09/10/15, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03075079.2015.1073249
Uncontrolled Keywords: British higher education,degree performance,work placement,self-selection,propensity score matching,Education
Publication ISSN: 1470-174X
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2024 08:14
Date Deposited: 05 Aug 2015 10:45
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
http://www.tand ... 79.2015.1073249 (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2017
Published Online Date: 2015-10-09
Authors: Jones, C.M. (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-1115-6409)
Green, J.P.
Higson, H.E. (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-3433-2823)

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