The Impact of Student-Centered Teaching Strategies on Educational Attainment in Econometrics: Evidence From the UK

• Published in: SAGE open Vol. 14; no. 2
• Main Authors: Shah, Imran Hussain, Au Yong Lyn, Audrey, Morlet, Guillaume Maxence Augustin, Rageth, Ladina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2024; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Class Organization; College Science; Econometrics; Educational attainment; Educational objectives; Educational Strategies; Outcomes of Education; Program Evaluation; Social Sciences; Student Centered Curriculum; Students; Teaching methods; United Kingdom > UK; student-centered teaching strategies; econometrics; educational attainment; student performance; international students
• ISSN: 2158-2440; 2158-2440
• DOI: 10.1177/21582440241240844

This paper investigates the impact of student-centered teaching strategies (SCTS) on the educational attainment of econometrics students, at a university based in the UK. Theoretical foundations underlying the usage of SCTS suggest that SCTS is better for students’ long-term recall, comprehension, problem-solving abilities and interest in the subject. Yet, most existing studies have only examined short-run outcomes, and none in technical social-science fields. We contribute to the literature by empirically analyzing whether SCTS affects the long-term learning outcomes for a STEM-related social-science subject like econometrics, by comparing the impact of SCTS with traditional teacher-centered strategies using a repeated cross-sectional sample spanning over four academic years. Our results provide robust evidence that SCTS is positively associated with students’ grades in the long run. Heterogeneity analyzes additionally indicate that female students and those in the upper quantiles of the grade-distribution disproportionately benefit more from SCTS. Plain Language Summary This study contributes to the literature by comparing the effectiveness of student-centered teaching strategies (SCTS) with traditional teacher-centered strategies using a repeated cross-sectional sample spanning over four academic years to investigate whether SCTS affects the long-term learning outcomes for a STEM-related social-science subject like econometrics. We specifically use a UK university as a case study to exploit a change in class organization wherein economics and management students are now enrolled in different econometrics courses. The results show that SCTS enhances students’ long-term econometrics performance by roughly 3% in comparison to the mean grade. This study implies that SCTS has a significant impact on the labor market’s ability to fill positions that are more technical and quantitative. Additionally, heterogeneity analyses show that female students and students in the higher quantiles of the grade distribution benefit disproportionately more from SCTS. As a result, it’s critical to recognize and apply the aspects of SCTS that are equally appealing to both genders. This finding carries important implications for the teaching of technical social-sciences, not just limited to econometrics, but also public policy courses that require causal evaluation of programs and laws.