PhD Seminar: When Ambitions Align: Peer Parental Aspiration and Student Achievement

Title:When Ambitions Align: Peer Parental Aspiration and Student Achievement

Abstract:Parental aspirations are a key determinant of children’s academic achievement, yet students may also be influenced by the aspirations of their classmates’ parents. Using the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) data and exploiting random classroom assignments, I assess the impact of peer parental aspirations on test scores. High peer parental aspirations significantly enhance scores, particularly when combined with high parental aspirations indicating a social multiplier in educational investment. These effects exhibit substantial heterogeneity, with larger and more persistent impacts for boys, while girls’ outcomes depend on peer–family aspiration alignment, and effects are stronger in mathematics than in language subjects.