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- Analysis of grade repetition through multilevel models: A study from PortugalPublication . Bastos, Amélia; Ferrão, Maria EugéniaThis paper investigates grade repetition in Portugal using microdata. Drawing on multilevel models, we analyse the number of times the student repeated a grade in compulsory education – our dependent variable – in association with children’s individual characteristics, household sociodemographic and economic background, and children’s living conditions – our covariates. Furthermore, we also attempt to shed light on the impact of schools on the endogenous variable. Our results confi rm the importance of individual, family, and neighbourhood characteristics on the rate of grade repetition. In terms of schools, the results obtained show that the student’s probability of failure vary across schools, demonstrating the importance of the impact of the school itself on grade repetition.
- Differential effect of university entrance score on first-year students’ academic performance in PortugalPublication . Ferrão, Maria Eugénia; Almeida, Leandro S.The main goal of this study is to show that the association between university entrance score and first-year students’ academic performance varies randomly across courses after controlling for students’ sociodemographic, schooling trajectory and motivational variables. The sample consists of 2697 first-year students who were enrolled in 54 courses at a Portuguese public university in 2015/16. Multilevel modelling of academic performance suggests that 34% of variability in grade point average is due to differences among courses and that 80% of such variability is explained by the field of study, whether the university is the student’s first choice, and the student’s gender, age and parents’ level of education. In addition, the results corroborate that the university entrance score is the strongest predictor of first-year academic performance.
- Differential effect of university entrance scores on graduates’ performance: the case of degree completion on time in PortugalPublication . Ferrão, Maria EugéniaDegree completion on theoretical time is a phenomenon seldom explored in the higher education literature. We applied variance components models and random coefficients models to the microdata of an entire entrant cohort of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who completed their three-year programme at a Portuguese institution during the theoretical period. The study showed that the variance partition coefficient is 0.27, considering the hierarchical structure of students nested in programmes. The differential effect of students’ university entrance scores on degree completion grade point average is stronger across programmes than across faculties, controlling for students’ sociodemographic background (gender, age and parents’ level of education), social scholarship granted, and preference regarding the institution and programme attended. The fixed effects related to the areas of study and type of institution (e.g. university or polytechnic) were also quantified. The estimates indicated that secondary school preparation is the most important predictive factor for the final grade point average of degree completion among the variables at enrolment. Moreover, differences based on gender, age, and areas of study were found.