Thesis (MEcon)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Education production function analysis is widely recognised as one important area of
research that needs to inform education policymaking, specifically policy relating to
the mix of funded inputs in a schooling system. Arriving at production functions is a
complex task, and is fraught with methodological pitfalls. This thesis sets out to
establish a framework for undertaking education production function analysis, and in
discussing its various elements, including its pitfalls, recommendations for good
practice are arrived at. The material analysed is of four types: texts on econometric
theory; existing production function analyses; documentation relating to three dataintensive
school monitoring programmes, namely Brazil’s SAEB, South Africa’s
Systemic Evaluation and the international SACMEQ programme; and lastly data,
relating mainly to South Africa, from the 2000 run of SACMEQ. The thesis is
organised according what can be regarded as seven key analysis steps. These steps
include a focus on the importance of a ‘mental model’, the relative benefits of the
one-level regression model and the hierarchical linear model (HLM), and the
formulation of actual production functions for South Africa based on the SACMEQ
data, using both one-level and HLM models. Key conclusions are, firstly, that the
HLM, though still under-developed, offers great analysis potential and, secondly, that
production function analyses ought to be translated into budgetary terms in order for
them to become fully meaningful to the policymaker.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/2683 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Gustafsson, Martin Anders |
| Contributors | Van der Berg, Servaas, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Economics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1153224 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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