Analysis of students´ achievement progress in elementary schools across Czech regions

• Název práce v češtině: Analýza vývoje školních výsledků studentů základních škol napříč českými kraji
• Název v anglickém jazyce: Analysis of students´ achievement progress in elementary schools across Czech regions
• Klíčová slova: vývoj, školní výsledky, kraje, Česká republika
• Klíčová slova anglicky: progress, students' achievement, regions, Czech Republic
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2023/2024
• Typ práce: bakalářská práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Institut ekonomických studií (23-IES)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Mgr. Barbara Pertold-Gebicka, M.A., Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno vedoucím/školitelem
• Datum přihlášení: 21.06.2024
• Datum zadání: 21.06.2024

Seznam odborné literatury

Analýzy vzdělávání pro všechny regiony. PAQ Research publikoval 206 původních reportů. (2022, říjen 18). PAQ Research. https://www.paqresearch.cz/post/reporty-paq/

Ananat, E. O., Gassman-Pines, A., Francis, D., & Gibson-Davis, C. (2011). Children Left Behind: The Effects of Statewide Job Loss on Student Achievement (w17104; s. w17104). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w17104

Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., & Lewis, K. (2022). Test Score Patterns Across Three COVID-19-Impacted School Years. Educational Researcher, 51(7), 500–506. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221109178

Marchetti, R., Wilson, R. H. ., & Dunham, M. (2016). Academic Achievement and Extracurricular School Activities of At-Risk High School Students. Educational Research Quarterly, 39(4), 3–20.

OECD Publishing. (2016). OECD Reviews of School Resources OECD Reviews of School Resources: Czech Republic 2016. Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuni/detail.action?docID=4730151

PAQ Research & think-tank IDEA. (b.r.). Nerovnosti ve vzdělávání jako zdroj neefektivity. Nadace České spořitelny.

Pertold, F., & Federičová, M. (2022). Multigenerational Education Mobility in Europe: Exploring the Mechanism1 (SSRN Scholarly Paper 4199576). https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4199576

Průměrné mzdy—1. Čtvrtletí 2024. (b.r.). Rychlé informace. Získáno 26. červen 2024, z https://csu.gov.cz/rychle-informace/prumerne-mzdy-1-ctvrtleti-2024

Stuart, B. A. (2022). The Long-Run Effects of Recessions on Education and Income. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 14(1), 42–74. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20180055

Zaměstnanost a nezaměstnanost podle výsledků VŠPS - 1. Čtvrtletí 2024. (b.r.). Rychlé informace. Získáno 26. červen 2024, z https://csu.gov.cz/rychle-informace/zamestnanost-a-nezamestnanost-podle-vysledku-vsps-1-ctvrtleti-2024

Předběžná náplň práce v anglickém jazyce

Research question and motivation

My bachelor thesis will focus on the differences in education outcomes across the Czech Republic, as there is substantial heterogeneity in rates of unemployment (Zaměstnanost a nezaměstnanost podle výsledků VŠPS - 1. čtvrtletí 2024, b.r.), wages (Průměrné mzdy - 1. čtvrtletí 2024, b.r.), and overall quality of living across Czech regions. Some data support the idea that in the Czech Republic, parents' socioeconomic status (SES) heavily influences the education their child will probably achieve (Pertold & Federičová, 2022). Inspired by those studies, I will investigate if, on average, elementary schools in Prague/Central Bohemia, compared to other Czech regions, provide equitable educational opportunities.

Education is a key determinant of national prosperity, influencing economic growth, social cohesion, and individual well-being (OECD, 2016). Therefore, understanding regional disparities in educational outcomes is vital for formulating effective policies to promote equity and social mobility.

Existing research, such as the studies conducted by PAQ Research and think tank IDEA for Nadace České spořitelny, has focused on educational inequality at the secondary level, linking parents’ SES with children's academic performance and literacy. However, these studies primarily examine the impact of SES within different types of schools, leaving room for further investigation at the elementary school level and across specific regions.

Recent analyses by PAQ Research on education in the 206 districts (obec s rozšířenou působností) of the Czech Republic reveal significant regional differences in factors such as poverty rates, educational personnel, and student performance. My thesis will build on these findings by examining how regional educational disparities manifest at the elementary level. If schools in larger urban centers, for instance, are found to offer significantly better educational opportunities, the insights gained could inform targeted interventions to improve educational quality in underperforming regions.

If we observe that, for example, schools in major cities provide children with significantly better education, the findings could drive efforts to address these disparities and implement improvements in schools located in less advantaged regions. Additionally, this research will assess the extent and significance of these regional differences in educational outcomes.


(Ananat et al., 2011),(Kuhfeld et al., 2022) (PAQ Research & think-tank IDEA, b.r.) (Stuart, 2022)
(Marchetti et al., 2016),(Analýzy vzdělávání pro všechny regiony. PAQ Research publikoval 206 původních reportů, 2022)

Contribution

While previous studies like PAQ Research have documented static educational inequalities, this study will contribute to the literature by examining the dynamic progression of students’ academic performance over time, adding a longitudinal perspective to regional education inequality in the Czech Republic.

The findings of this study could provide evidence for policymakers to allocate additional resources to underperforming regions, targeting educational interventions that close the achievement gap between urban and rural schools—for example, introducing mentorship programs in rural areas where educational mobility is lower.

Methodology

By using a proprietary data from Scio s.r.o., a leading provider of national comparative exams, this thesis will uniquely track individual students' progress over time—a feature unavailable in existing publicly available datasets. Importantly, this dataset allows for longitudinal tracking of individual students who have completed multiple assessments, such as in the 5th and 9th grades, enabling an analysis of academic progress over time across regions. The analysis will focus on changes in performance, likely measured through shifts in percentile rankings between assessments. The data will require comprehensive organization and cleaning to ensure accuracy. In the event that matching individual students over time proves challenging due to missing data or other limitations, I will adapt the analysis to focus on aggregated results at the class or school level across multiple years.

I will perform linear regression with the dependent variable being the individual (or class-level) change in performance in a comparative exam. The independent variables that I anticipate being able to incorporate into the model include age at school enrolment, gender, school size, and class size. Additionally, I will add district-level characteristics, possibly interacted with other explanatory variables, to capture district-level heterogeneity in students’ test outcomes.
Outline

Abstract
Introduction
a. Research motivation
b. Literature context
c. Research contribution
d. Overview of findings
e. Thesis structure
Literature review and hypotheses
a. Educational inequality in the Czech Republic
b. Theoretical framework
c. Hypotheses development
Methodology
a. Data description
b. Variable selection and measurement
c. Analytical Approach
Results
a. Hypotheses testing
b. Interpretation of findings
Discussion
a. Implication
b. Limitations of the study
Conclusion
a. Summary of Findings
b. Policy Recommendations
c. Suggestions for further research