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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Publication published in Economics of Education Review

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Das Cover der Economics of Education Review von Juni 2024 © Economics of Education Review
"Does instructional time at school influence study time at university? Evidence from an instructional time reform" by J. Schwerter has been published.

Jakob Schwerter, Nicolai Netz and Nicolas Hübner publish the article "Does instructional time at school influence study time at university? Evidence from an instructional time reform" in the Economics of Education Review, which examines the long-term effects of the G8 reform, which shortened the school year of the academic track "Gymnasium" by one year.

The paper is based on the assumption that the early life environment can have long-term effects on later life. Interestingly, research on the effects of school reforms has rarely taken this perspective. For this reason, the G8 reform, which shortened the number of school years by one year and increased the weekly instruction time for students in the academic track, was examined.

The researchers analyzed this quasi-experiment in a difference-in-differences approach using nationally representative survey data from 69,513 students who attended university between 1998 and 2016. Students who had attended the eight-year Gymnasium spent less time attending classes and studying on their own. In addition, the time between leaving school and starting university was longer.

These findings highlight the importance for policymakers and researchers to consider the unintended long-term effects of school reforms on individual life courses.