TY - JOUR T1 - Gender Peer Effects on Students’ Academic and Noncognitive Outcomes: Evidence and Mechanisms JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour DO - 10.3368/jhr.56.3.0918-9736R2 SP - 0918-9736R2 AU - Jie Gong AU - Yi Lu AU - Hong Song Y1 - 2019/09/16 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2019/09/10/jhr.56.3.0918-9736R2.abstract N2 - This paper examines gender peer effects on students’ academic and noncognitive outcomes. We use a nationally representative survey of middle school students in China and focus on schools that randomly assign students to classrooms. Our findings show that having a higher proportion of female peers in class improves students’ test scores and noncognitive outcomes, which include their social acclimation and general satisfaction in school. A further decomposition of channels suggests that teacher behavior, greater student effort, and the improved classroom environment are the primary channels through which peers’ gender influences student outcomes. ER -