Exploring peer effects in education in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

This paper assesses peer group influence on academic performance of primary school students in Latin America and the Caribbean. Based on TERCE data set, we investigate peer effects in mathematics and language tests outcomes among sixth grade students. We apply the model proposed in Lee (2007), which allows to identify endogenous and exogenous peer effects while controlling for group-level unobservables. The estimates suggest the existence of endogenous peer effects both, in mathematics and language tests scores, implying that peer’s outcomes do influence student’s academic results.