Essays on inequality of opportunities in education : policies and behavioral mechanisms

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
It is generally accepted that education is a powerful enabler of social mobility in the modern world. However, access to quality and specialized education is still highly unequal, creating pathways for some groups of people and barriers to others. This dissertation explores three approaches to understanding and addressing inequalities of opportunity in three separate chapters. The first chapter examines the importance of test design, in particular the time limit component, as a driver of gender gaps in performance. The second chapter evaluates the potential of a growth mindset intervention for narrowing gender gaps in challenge-seeking and competitive behavior. The third chapter investigates the educational attainment and labor market outcomes of an affirmative action policy for college admission that targets low-income and underrepresented racial minorities. Respective results show that changing the time limit of a test may increase female representation in competitive programs, teaching growth mindset may help some women become more challenge-seeking and competitive, and that affirmative action can more than double the chances of black low-income students entering a prestigious career without negatively impacting the prospects of students displaced by the policy. In summary, these studies provide evidence that informs the potential of an institution, a practice, and a policy to open pathways for more equitable opportunities in education and the labor market.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource
Extent 1 online resource.
Place California
Place [Stanford, California]
Publisher [Stanford University]
Copyright date 2023; ©2023
Publication date 2023; 2023
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Author Trindade Ribeiro, Ana Carolina
Degree supervisor Bettinger, Eric
Thesis advisor Bettinger, Eric
Thesis advisor Dee, Thomas S. (Thomas Sean)
Thesis advisor Niederle, Muriel
Degree committee member Dee, Thomas S. (Thomas Sean)
Degree committee member Niederle, Muriel
Associated with Stanford University, Graduate School of Education

Subjects

Genre Theses
Genre Text

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Ana Trindade Ribeiro.
Note Submitted to the Graduate School of Education.
Thesis Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2023.
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/qh201bk8586

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2023 by Ana Carolina Trindade Ribeiro
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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