Cuevas Ruiz, Pilar; (2024) Essays on Education and Inequality. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis aims to study the intricate linkages between education and inequality, addressing the topic from diverse yet interrelated perspectives. The first essay provides causal evidence of the returns of mothers’ high school curricula to children’s health at birth. It explores the impacts on infant health outcomes of a comprehensive education reform in Spain that postponed students’ curriculum choices and integrated more general education into the high school curriculum. Using a dose-response difference-in-differences (DiD) research design applied to linked population registers, it finds that the reform significantly reduces very low birth weight and preterm births. The positive outcomes are attributed to improved labor market opportunities for mothers and better family planning. The second essay evaluates the impact of a cost-effective, computer-assisted learning (CAL) language program on student academic performance in the region of Madrid (Spain). By using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the program tailors content to students with learning difficulties, improving their writing and reading skills. The study reveals that students using the CAL program perform better in standardized Spanish language tests, especially those at the lower end of the test-score distribution, and also reports positive spillover effects in other subjects like mathematics. The findings suggest that CAL programs can effectively mitigate literacy problems at young ages and assist teachers in managing diverse learning levels. In the third essay, the thesis examines gender gaps in response to competitive pressure using data from high school and university entrance examinations in the region of Andalusia (Spain). Women are found to underperform compared to men in high-stakes settings like university entrance examinations, and they are more affected by performance shocks occurring on the same day. These gender differences, more pronounced for students applying to more competitive university programs and science fields, are not explained by gender differences in unobserved ability or effort provision.

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