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Research ArticleResearch Article

Peer Discrimination in the Classroom and Academic Achievement

Andrew J. Hill and Weina Zhou
Published online before print May 13, 2021, 0919-10460R3; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.59.2.0919-10460R3
Andrew J. Hill
Andrew Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics at Montana State University.
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Weina Zhou
Weina Zhou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Dalhousie University.
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Abstract

Perceived peer discrimination in the classroom reduces school performance. Considering the context of rural migrants in urban China, we find that migrant students’ test scores are lower when local classmates report more anti-migrant discrimination. Our empirical strategy relies on isolating exogenous variation in locals’ discriminatory attitudes toward rural migrants across randomly assigned classrooms in the same school. We use whether locals had migrant friends outside school in their first year of middle school to instrument for discrimination in the classroom. The negative effects of perceived discrimination are largest for migrant students with less educated parents, lower ability, and lower self-confidence.

Keywords
  • peer effects
  • discrimination
  • test scores
  • migrant children
JEL Codes
  • I21
  • J13
  • J15
  • O15
  • O18

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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Peer Discrimination in the Classroom and Academic Achievement
Andrew J. Hill, Weina Zhou
Journal of Human Resources May 2021, 0919-10460R3; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.59.2.0919-10460R3

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Peer Discrimination in the Classroom and Academic Achievement
Andrew J. Hill, Weina Zhou
Journal of Human Resources May 2021, 0919-10460R3; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.59.2.0919-10460R3
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Keywords

  • peer effects
  • Discrimination
  • test scores
  • migrant children
  • I21
  • J13
  • J15
  • O15
  • O18
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