Which children work harder at school, and what do their efforts have to do with their social background? Until now, educational research has been unable to provide empirically based answers to this question. However, a new international study led by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), with the participation of researchers from the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, reveals that socioeconomic background decisively influences the willingness to exert effort, but that this gap can be mitigated through the use of classroom incentives.
