Mind the Gap: Measuring Academic Underachievement Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Deni Mazrekaj; Kristof De Witte; Thomas P. Triebs

doi:10.1177/00144029211073524

Mind the Gap: Measuring Academic Underachievement Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Deni Mazrekaj, Kristof De Witte, Thomas P. Triebs

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Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We propose using Stochastic Frontier Analysis to estimate pupils’ academic underachievement. We model underachievement as the gap between expected achievement and actual achievement, not due to a learning disability. Our data are a panel for 2,228 Belgian pupils observed over 6 years of primary education. We found that the average underachievement gap is 23.5%. That is, the average pupil does not exploit about one fourth of their potential. Gifted pupils appear to underachieve as much as non-gifted pupils. We also found that class size is a determinant of underachievement. The association between class size and underachievement is non-monotonic, with an underachievement minimum at a class size of about 20 pupils.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	442-459
Journal	Exceptional Children
Volume	88
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029211073524
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank Hung-Jen Wang, Subal Kumbhakar, Eric Hanushek, John Ruggiero, Lori Taylor, Frank Verboven, Bieke De Fraine, Jan Van Damme, Ides Nicaise, the participants of the Conference of the International Association for Applied Econometrics, as well as the seminar and workshop participants at Carleton University, Loughborough University, Politecnico di Milano, University of Lisbon, Maastricht University, University of Extremadura, and KU Leuven. Deni Mazrekaj acknowledges funding by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) as Aspirant [grant numbers 1172519N and V439919N].

Funding Information:
Deni Mazrekaj acknowledges funding by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) as Aspirant [grant numbers 1172519N and V439919N].

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

Stochastic Frontier Analysis
academic underachievement
class size
gifted pupils

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00144029211073524Final published version, 845 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Mind the Gap: Measuring Academic Underachievement Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis",

abstract = "We propose using Stochastic Frontier Analysis to estimate pupils{\textquoteright} academic underachievement. We model underachievement as the gap between expected achievement and actual achievement, not due to a learning disability. Our data are a panel for 2,228 Belgian pupils observed over 6 years of primary education. We found that the average underachievement gap is 23.5%. That is, the average pupil does not exploit about one fourth of their potential. Gifted pupils appear to underachieve as much as non-gifted pupils. We also found that class size is a determinant of underachievement. The association between class size and underachievement is non-monotonic, with an underachievement minimum at a class size of about 20 pupils.",

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Mind the Gap: Measuring Academic Underachievement Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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