Yuzhi Zhou: Oral Presentation

Other Parents’ Ambitions: Peer Parental Aspiration and Student Achievement (Main Paper) 

Parental aspirations are a key determinant of children’s academic achievement, yet students may also be influenced by their classmates’ parents’ aspirations. Using the China Education Panel Survey and random class assignment, I estimate the relationship between peer parental aspiration (PPA) and test scores. PPA is a robust positive predictor of achievement on average, but the association is concentrated among students whose own parents already hold high aspirations, indicating that peer and family aspirations are complements rather than substitutes. Mechanism evidence points to a more academically engaged peer environment as the primary channel, rather than parental financial investment or teacher behavior.

PS: Other chapters in the PhD thesis will also be presented.