Journal directory listing - Volume 56 (2011) - Journal of Research in Education Sciences【56(2)】June
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Effects of Comprehensive High School Policy on Students' Achievement: Evidence from Taiwan Education Panel Survey
Author: Duen-Yi Lee(SanShia Junior High School, New Taipei City)
Vol.&No.：Vol. 56, No. 2
Date：June 2011
Pages：107-135
DOI：10.3966/2073753X2011065602004
Abstract：
Since 1996, the Taiwanese government has launched the policy of comprehensive high school (CHS) to relax the traditional system of curriculum tracking at the level of senior secondary education. The aim of CHS is to offer junior high graduates delaying their choice between senior high and vocational curricula, an opportunity to increase their common knowledge and achieve a goal of personally tailored development. However, in contrast with students in both senior high and vocational schools, the percentage of those in the comprehensive high schools has been rather small since the 1998 school year. Furthermore, a number of studies and on-site evaluation reports on CHS have been conducted. Thus far, these studies and reports have focused on exploring the performance of comprehensive high schools and difficulties in implementing the policy. No evaluation of the impacts of the CHS policy on student achievement has yet been performed. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the causal effects of CHS policy on students' achievement in comprehensive high schools in Taiwan.
Using the data from the public released core panel data of the Taiwan Education Panel Survey in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, this study employs the method of propensity score matching to estimate the average treatment effect of CHS policy on students' achievement in comprehensive high schools. The results show virtually no gain in students' achievement from the CHS policy for those enrolled in comprehensive high schools in Taiwan. Finally, the present study discusses the implications of the CHS policy and suggests directions for stakeholders and future research.
Keywords：propensity score matching, comprehensive high school, Taiwan Education Panel Survey, curriculum tracking
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