Overeducation in the labor market: a comment and re-analysis of a meta-analysis

Groot and Maassen van den Brink (International Journal of Manpower 21, 584, 2000a) provide a useful summary of the incidence of overeducation and undereducation. Unfortunately, by combining non-compatible estimates of the impact of surplus schooling (and under schooling) on earnings they potentially bias their estimates downward (upward). This paper bypasses this potential bias by examining only wage estimates that use the “standard” required-surplus-deficit education model of Duncan and Hoffman (1981). The paper also expands the meta-analysis by including approximately 50 additional wage estimates. On average, the literature finds that the premium paid for overeducation is approximately equal to the penalty for undereducation, but lower than the returns associated with an increase in required education. Overeducated individuals earn more than their properly educated co-workers, but less than others with their level of schooling. The paper also examines how different definitions of required education impact the returns from overeducation and undereducation.     

Fertility, relative wages, and labor market decisions: A case of female teachers

This paper examines the effects of fertility and relative wages on occupational choice (teaching versus non-teaching) and labor force participation decisions of female college graduates using selectivity-corrected panel estimations.We find that the presence of a new born baby is not particularly important to the choice of occupation, but significantly discourages female labor force participation, especially among teachers. Higher relative wages are found to effectively attract female college graduates into teaching. College major in education is one of the most relevant determinants for female college graduates to become teachers. Though investing educational expenditures on teachers’ salary seems to be a valid policy, providing incentives for female college students to major in education will be an alterative way to secure teacher supply.     

Gender-based wage differentials in a predominantly female profession: observations from nursing

Despite numerous studies examining nursing wages, very little attention has focused on nursing wage differentials. We build on previous research by modeling nursing wages and examining male–female wage differences within the context of the current nursing shortage. Our results show that male nurses do earn a wage premium, largely explained by employment as a nurse anesthetist, job satisfaction, and experience. Whether or not this differential indicates discrimination toward females in the US nursing labor market is unclear. Since males represent a small proportion of the nursing workforce, the time required for males to become prevalent in the nursing labor market and help ease the nursing shortage is unknown. Consequently, one must ask whether the male wage premium is sufficient to attract substantial numbers of men into nursing, and whether wages, in general, are sufficient to attract the requisite numbers of males and females into nursing to address the shortage ‘crisis’.     

Comparing the payoff to vocational and academic credentials in Thailand over time

Using data from Thailand’s National Labor Force Survey, this paper analyzes the long-run earnings differentials for vocational and academic schooling at the secondary and post-secondary levels. The results show that vocational schooling offers consistently higher returns for men and women at the secondary and post-secondary levels. However, the returns to vocational and academic credentials vary substantially, both by gender and year. The primary conclusion that vocational schooling offers a higher private rate of return should be tempered by the understanding of the long-run decline in value of some vocational credentials and the potential growing importance of all post-secondary degrees.     

Where the boys aren't: non-cognitive skills, returns to school and the gender gap in higher education

Nearly 60 percent of college students today are women. Using longitudinal data on a nationally representative cohort of eighth grade students in 1988, I examine two potential explanations for the differential attendance rates of men and women—returns to schooling and non-cognitive skills. The attendance gap is roughly five percentage points for all high school graduates. Conditional on attendance, however, there are few differences in type of college, enrollment status or selectivity of institution. The majority of the attendance gap can be explained by differences in the characteristics of men and women, despite some gender differences in the determinants of college attendance. I find that higher non-cognitive skills and college premiums among women account for nearly 90 percent of the gender gap in higher education. Interestingly, non-cognitive factors continue to influence college enrollment after controlling for high school achievement.     

Determinants of salary growth in Shenzhen, China: an analysis of formal education, on-the-job training, and adult education with a three-level model

Using 1996 surveyed data of 1023 employees in Shenzhen, China, this study estimated the effects of three forms of human capital on employee salary, namely formal education, on-the-job training provided by employers, and adult education pursued by employees. Using a hierarchical linear model, the analysis estimated employee monthly salary growth over a maximum of six years due to (a) such temporal factors as work experience and improved performance, (b) individual-level characteristics, and (c) firm-level characteristics. This study found that (a) pre-work formal education was positively associated with salary only at hiring, (b) employees' experience in changing production technology as well as on-the-job training were positively associated with salary increases through improved technical proficiency, formal education was not; (c) manufacturing firms introduced more new production technology than the service sector and provided more on-the-job training, thus improving workers' performance and increasing their salary.     

Direct and indirect effects of education on job satisfaction: A structural equation model for the Spanish case

Empirical literature has traditionally analyzed the effect of education on job satisfaction with single-equation models that ignore interrelationships between theoretical explanatory variables. Their results are somewhat inconclusive. We propose estimating a structural equation model to obtain both the direct effects and the set of indirect effects. Analysis of these effects allows us to explain the apparent contradictions that have existed to date, and to improve knowledge of the economic value of education. The proposed model shows that people with higher levels of formal education are more satisfied with their jobs, because they are more likely to access jobs with characteristics that provide greater satisfaction.     

信息技术与高中语文课程整合的教学设计初探

信息技术与学科课程整合是目前教育界探究的热门话题之一,整合的模式和方法也有很多种。在正确理解课程整合内涵的基础上,阐述了信息技术与高中语文课程整合的内涵及其特点,并对信息技术与高中语文课程整合的教学设计方法进行了探讨。     

论影响中学体育教师适应体育与健康课程的主客观因素及对策

通过献资料法,在健康第一的思想指导下,结合学校教学将朝快乐化、生活化、终身化方向发展和中学体育课教学情况的综合研究,分析中学实施“体育与健康课?教学,必须以终身体育为目标,树立新的教学思想,优化教师队伍,改进教学措施,建立新的成绩评价体系,激发学生体育兴趣．