Absolute effects of schooling as a reference for the interpretation of educational intervention effects

Luyten, J.; Merrell, C.; Tymms, P.

Abstract

Knowledge of the absolute effects of schooling provides a useful reference for the interpretation of the effectiveness of educational interventions. We use discontinuities in test scores between the oldest pupils in one birth cohort and the youngest in the next to assess the absolute effects of schooling. Our study includes 90 % of all pupils in year-groups 4–6 of primary education (ages 7–10) in Northern Ireland. Assignment to year-groups is strictly determined by date of birth in Northern Ireland. This creates a situation which parallels randomized controlled experimentation. The findings support the view that the guidelines suggested by Cohen (in 1969) may be overly ambitious when evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions.

Citation

Luyten, J., Merrell, C., & Tymms, P. (2020). Absolute effects of schooling as a reference for the interpretation of educational intervention effects. Studies in Educational Evaluation, Article 100939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100939

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 9, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Deposit Date: Oct 22, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 10, 2020
• Journal: Studies in Educational Evaluation
• Print ISSN: 0191-491X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Article Number: 100939
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100939