PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Chen, Kelly
AU  - Hansen, Zeynep
AU  - Lowe, Scott
TI  - Why Do We Inflate Grades?
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.56.3.0518-9493R2
DP  - 2021 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 878--921
VI  - 56
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/56/3/878.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/56/3/878.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2021 Jul 01; 56
AB  - A burgeoning literature has documented the influence of adjunct instructors on student subsequent interest and success, but very little is known about the underlying mechanisms. This study investigates instructor choice of grading standards as one mediating channel by exploiting a unique university policy that converts full-time permanent lecturers from existing pool of part-time temporary instructors. We find that instructors hired on a temporary, part-time basis assign higher grades than their permanent full-time counterparts, with no discernible differences in student learning outcomes or perceived teaching effectiveness. The differential grading standards, however, appear to have a nonnegligible impact on student enrollment patterns.