Mosaddek Hossain
Ph.D Candidate
Job Market Candidate, 2024-25
Economics
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References: Darren Lubotsky, Ben Ost, Javaeria Qureshi, John Tauras
Job Market Paper: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Does It Matter How Old Your Peers Are? Evidence on Heterogeneous Effects of Male and Female Peer Age in Elementary School
Abstract: I provide the first evidence that the average age of male and female peers can have differing impacts on student outcomes. Age and gender play pivotal roles in shaping the maturity and development of young children, both of which significantly influence student outcomes. While prior studies have extensively explored the effects of peer age and gender composition, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first study to look at the intersection of these two and investigate the differing impacts of the average age of male and female peers on student outcomes. Using administrative data on all the public school students in North Carolina and leveraging cross-cohort variation in third-grade peer age, this study examines the distinct effects of the average age of male and female peers on end-of-grade test scores. I find that the influence of male peer age is twice as strong as the effect of female peer age, and these effects vary markedly depending on the student’s gender, age, and economic disadvantage. These findings offer new insights into the gender differences in the role of the average age of peers.