When patience pays off – evidence on cultural determinants of post-compulsory education achievement

Author(s) : Samuel Luethi, Stefan C. Wolter

Source : https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4944185

Abstract:

This study empirically demonstrates the influence of culturally different values for long-term orientation and patience on the educational progress of migrants in the post-compulsory education system in Switzerland. Using longitudinal PISA data from Switzerland, we show individual differences according to the migrants’ country of origin for several outcomes, such as time to graduation, choice of academic education, and entry into tertiary education. Heterogeneity analyses show that this cultural transmission often differs according to the student’s position in the achievement distribution and, in some cases, for women and second-generation migrants.

Keywords: Time preference, patience, long-term orientation, educational trajectories