Does attending a public or private university make a difference for students in Colombia?
Author(s):
Edgardo Cayon (presenting / submitting) Julio Sarmiento Juan Correa
Conference:
ECER 2017
Network:
22. Research in Higher Education
Format:
Paper

Session Information

22 SES 07 E,

Paper Session

Time:
2017-08-23
17:15-18:45
Room:
K5.14
Chair:
Colin McCaig

Contribution

this paper, we explore the difference in quality between public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Colombia. We test whether the differences in the national exam that measures student performance (Saber Pro) between public and private institutions is statistically significant by employing a propensity matching score approach based on common financial characteristics to avoid issues of selection bias. The results indicate that the difference in student performance between public and private institutions is positive and statistically significant. There is evidence that students in private HEIs perform better in most areas of the Saber Pro than their public counterparts. This performance difference can be attributed to the substantial differences in the patterns of teaching expenditures and income per student between public and private HEIs. The results are robust, since we controlled for statistical differences between private and public universities in terms of growth of revenue, number of undergraduates, number of full-time professors, and income per student by using propensity matching estimators for counterfactual samples.

Method

We test whether the differences in the national exam that measures student performance (Saber Pro) between public and private institutions is statistically significant by employing a propensity matching score approach based on common financial characteristics to avoid issues of selection bias.

Expected Outcomes

By using a propensity-matching estimator approach, we tested for statistically significant differences between public and private HEIs in Colombia. The counterfactuals among private HEIs were randomly selected based on similar financial characteristics to avoid selection bias. The results show that there is a positive statistically significant difference in performance on the national exam that measures student performance (Saber Pro) between students at private and public institutions. The difference can be attributed to other statistically significant differences in quality indicators such as the number of part-time professors, tuition per student, and teaching expense per student. There is evidence that students at private Colombian HEIs perform better in most areas than students at public HEIs do. However, there were no significant differences between private and public universities in the growth of revenue, number of undergraduates, number of full-time professors, and income per student. In Colombia, to strengthen the quality of the education provided to students at public and private HEIs, these findings can serve as the basis for a more in-depth discussion about how public resources are being distributed. Ultimately, the state is also responsible for ensuring minimum standards of student performance. One way to enforce quality is to ensure measures that link student performance to student funding for private and public HEIs.

References

Patrick, W. J., & Stanley, E. C. 1998. Teaching and research quality indicators and the shaping of higher education. Research in Higher Education, 39(1): 19-41. Pedrosa, R. H. L., Amaral, E., & Knobel, M. 2013. Assessing Higher Education Learning Outcomes in Brazil. Higher Education Management and Policy, 24(2): 55-71. Sackett, P. R., Kuncel, N. R., Arneson, J. J., Cooper, S. R., & Waters, S. D. 2009. Does socioeconomic status explain the relationship between admissions tests and post-secondary academic performance? Psychological bulletin, 135(1): 1.

Author Information

Edgardo Cayon (presenting / submitting)
CESA Business School
Bogota
Julio Sarmiento
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Juan Correa
CESA
Research
Bogota

Update Modus of this Database

The current conference programme can be browsed in the conference management system (conftool) and, closer to the conference, in the conference app.
This database will be updated with the conference data after ECER. 

Search the ECER Programme

  • Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
  • Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
  • Search for authors and in the respective field.
  • For planning your conference attendance, please use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference and the conference agenda provided in conftool.
  • If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.