Applied Micro Lunch Seminar: Ying Zhou, University of California, Santa Barbara

Speaker

Ying Zhou, University of California, Santa Barbara

Title

"Does Greater Curriculum Flexibility in High School Reduce STEM Participation?" 

Abstract

We study the effects of a reform in China’s college entrance exam where, instead of choosing between STEM and humanities tracks with three subtests each, high school students were allowed to choose any three out of the six subtests. We find that girls’ enrollment in high school physics decreased, but increased in chemistry and biology. In contrast, boys' enrollment in all three STEM subjects decreased. Because physics is required for admission to more college STEM courses, students' eligibility for several high-paying STEM majors like computer science and engineering fell, accompanied by a decreased predicted average wage. Exam difficulty, selecting subjects of strength, and balancing STEM and humanities appear to be the primary mechanisms. Also contributing is the fact that students were not well informed of the consequences of their course choices in the first year of high school.