Leiv Opstad | Norwegian University of Science and Technology (original) (raw)
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Papers by Leiv Opstad
Interdisciplinary journal of education research, May 18, 2022
Due to COVID-19, numerous universities and colleges have been forced to arrange home-based exams ... more Due to COVID-19, numerous universities and colleges have been forced to arrange home-based exams in many countries. We know relatively little about what consequences this might have for the ranking of students based on qualifications in the various subjects. This is an important issue for administrators, educators, and others involved in planning the design of higher education. The intention of this article is to get more insight into this issue. By analysing administrative data from a Norwegian Business School, we examined the impact of moving from traditional school exams to home-based exams in 2020 due to COVID-19. The chosen methodology is the comparison of means by using t-test and standard linear regression models. The results indicate a weaker link between high school performance and achievements in business administration courses. Furthermore, home-based exams might disadvantage older students. This is useful knowledge in the judgement as to whether or not to introduce home-based exams as a permanent arrangement.
International journal of applied economics, finance and accounting, Oct 26, 2022
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jul 4, 2022
Athens Journal of Education, Aug 26, 2021
Educational Process: International Journal, Mar 15, 2020
Sustainability, Jul 29, 2020
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Aug 31, 2021
Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 2021
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Jun 14, 2018
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Mar 17, 2021
International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, Dec 4, 2021
The purpose of this study is to find out if there is any gender difference in attitudes to mathem... more The purpose of this study is to find out if there is any gender difference in attitudes to mathematics among students at the Faculty of Economics and Management, NTNU. More than 200 students from the three departments: (1) Industrial Economics and Technology Management, (2) Economics and (3) Business school were questioned about their attitudes towards mathematics. Using factor analysis, an instrument for measuring attitudes towards mathematics, was constructed. The method chosen was pairwise comparisons using an independent samples t-test. Research on the gender gap is mixed. Some studies show a sex difference when it comes to attitude to mathematics, while others do not find any significant gap between male and female students. Norway is one of the highest-ranking countries in terms of overall gender equality, and female students outperform their male peers at upper secondary school. Nevertheless, women are under-represented in fields like science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is a gender equality paradox. About 50 per cent of the students at the Faculty of Economics and Management are females. The data suggest there is a significant gender difference in attitudes towards mathematics among the students. The females have substantially lower values in terms of selfconfidence, enjoyment and value in mathematics. The students can choose between practical and theoretical mathematics at upper secondary school, but even if we adjust for that, there is still a significant gender gap. This finding can explain why female students tend to select less quantitative fields and business courses that require fewer mathematical skills
International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, Jun 1, 2020
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, Jul 30, 2019
International Journal of Teaching and Education, May 2, 2023
European Journal of Education Studies, Oct 14, 2022
Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, 2023
There exist numerous published articles that examine the level of profit persistence across vario... more There exist numerous published articles that examine the level of profit persistence across various industries. Such analyses prove highly valuable in acquiring a deeper understanding of the market. This paper investigates how important business-specific factors are for businesses involved in construction industry. This sector is characterized by its high capital intensity and sensitivity to economic cycles. To investigate its dynamics, researchers commonly employ the dynamic panel data approach along with the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator, a widely used econometric technique. The approach is to estimate to what degree firms can make a profit and outperform the market. We split the sample of Norwegian construction firms from 2006 to 2019 by three criteria: segment, size, and debt. With a comprehensive dataset encompassing information from over 40,000 companies spanning a period of 14 years, there exists a solid foundation for generating accurate estimates. The finding is that the degree of profit persistence (PoP) is considerable in this sector and especially among large companies. The longterm profit rate is around 6 percent. There was a noticeable decline in activity during the financial crisis. The building segment and highly indebted enterprises faced the greatest challenges during that period.
Interdisciplinary journal of education research, May 18, 2022
Due to COVID-19, numerous universities and colleges have been forced to arrange home-based exams ... more Due to COVID-19, numerous universities and colleges have been forced to arrange home-based exams in many countries. We know relatively little about what consequences this might have for the ranking of students based on qualifications in the various subjects. This is an important issue for administrators, educators, and others involved in planning the design of higher education. The intention of this article is to get more insight into this issue. By analysing administrative data from a Norwegian Business School, we examined the impact of moving from traditional school exams to home-based exams in 2020 due to COVID-19. The chosen methodology is the comparison of means by using t-test and standard linear regression models. The results indicate a weaker link between high school performance and achievements in business administration courses. Furthermore, home-based exams might disadvantage older students. This is useful knowledge in the judgement as to whether or not to introduce home-based exams as a permanent arrangement.
International journal of applied economics, finance and accounting, Oct 26, 2022
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jul 4, 2022
Athens Journal of Education, Aug 26, 2021
Educational Process: International Journal, Mar 15, 2020
Sustainability, Jul 29, 2020
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Aug 31, 2021
Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 2021
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Jun 14, 2018
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Mar 17, 2021
International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, Dec 4, 2021
The purpose of this study is to find out if there is any gender difference in attitudes to mathem... more The purpose of this study is to find out if there is any gender difference in attitudes to mathematics among students at the Faculty of Economics and Management, NTNU. More than 200 students from the three departments: (1) Industrial Economics and Technology Management, (2) Economics and (3) Business school were questioned about their attitudes towards mathematics. Using factor analysis, an instrument for measuring attitudes towards mathematics, was constructed. The method chosen was pairwise comparisons using an independent samples t-test. Research on the gender gap is mixed. Some studies show a sex difference when it comes to attitude to mathematics, while others do not find any significant gap between male and female students. Norway is one of the highest-ranking countries in terms of overall gender equality, and female students outperform their male peers at upper secondary school. Nevertheless, women are under-represented in fields like science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is a gender equality paradox. About 50 per cent of the students at the Faculty of Economics and Management are females. The data suggest there is a significant gender difference in attitudes towards mathematics among the students. The females have substantially lower values in terms of selfconfidence, enjoyment and value in mathematics. The students can choose between practical and theoretical mathematics at upper secondary school, but even if we adjust for that, there is still a significant gender gap. This finding can explain why female students tend to select less quantitative fields and business courses that require fewer mathematical skills
International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, Jun 1, 2020
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, Jul 30, 2019
International Journal of Teaching and Education, May 2, 2023
European Journal of Education Studies, Oct 14, 2022
Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, 2023
There exist numerous published articles that examine the level of profit persistence across vario... more There exist numerous published articles that examine the level of profit persistence across various industries. Such analyses prove highly valuable in acquiring a deeper understanding of the market. This paper investigates how important business-specific factors are for businesses involved in construction industry. This sector is characterized by its high capital intensity and sensitivity to economic cycles. To investigate its dynamics, researchers commonly employ the dynamic panel data approach along with the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator, a widely used econometric technique. The approach is to estimate to what degree firms can make a profit and outperform the market. We split the sample of Norwegian construction firms from 2006 to 2019 by three criteria: segment, size, and debt. With a comprehensive dataset encompassing information from over 40,000 companies spanning a period of 14 years, there exists a solid foundation for generating accurate estimates. The finding is that the degree of profit persistence (PoP) is considerable in this sector and especially among large companies. The longterm profit rate is around 6 percent. There was a noticeable decline in activity during the financial crisis. The building segment and highly indebted enterprises faced the greatest challenges during that period.
The Future of Education , July, Florence, Italy, 2021
Self-study and attendance rates are important factors in terms of academic outcomes. There is con... more Self-study and attendance rates are important factors in terms of academic outcomes. There is considerable variation in students’ efforts. This is probably due to many factors. In the literature, there is a considerable focus on the link between academic success and personality traits (Big Five). However, few studies have investigated the relationship between study time, presence at lectures and personality traits. The purpose of this article is to find out more about how gender and personal characteristics can affect students' efforts (attendance and study time) by questioning 380 students at a business school in Norway. Results indicate significant and positive correlation between some of the personality traits (openness and conscientiousness) and study time. Females tend to study more, but the impact was not significant. None of the variables were significantly linked to attendance. The finding is useful information when designing various educational schemes. The chosen method for this study is ordinary linear regression model.
Global Conference on Business and Finance Proceedings 2021 ;Volum 16.(2) 109-119, 2021
The price level in Norway is very high and this has put limits on the number of visitors. However... more The price level in Norway is very high and this has put limits on the number of visitors. However, the last decade there has been significant fluctuations in the exchange rate, and this has probably affected the travel pattern. This article will examine this by focus on camping tourism the last twenty years. Furthermore, we want to see how increased income has affected its use, especially tents and caravans. The analysis is based on aggregated annual data. This limits the ability of advanced quantitative methods. This research shows that the use of campsites is sensitive to the fluctuations of the exchange rate. Taking into account the time lags in the planning, this study suggests the elasticity with regard to the exchange rate is above 1.0. Furthermore, a trend is recorded where tents and caravans have become less popular especially among domestic users. One explanation may be income development. The results are relevant for the planning of campsites
Global Conference on Business and Finance Proceedings, 2020
The purpose of this study is to find out how undergraduate students perform in selected courses a... more The purpose of this study is to find out how undergraduate students perform in selected courses at a business
school. Management and communication oriented courses require different skills to those of core business
courses. There are many studies on students’ success in economics, accounting, and finance, but not in
management and marketing. The data in this study are from a business school in Norway. Undergraduate
business students can choose different pathways in their third year. We compare students’ performance in
different selected majors. The methods chosen were the independent samples test and a linear regression
model. It appears that the most notable indicator of success in the chosen major is performance in the
introductory course within the same field. Mathematics is another important element, while grade point
average (GPA) scores have a minor impact. There is obviously some gender effect. The males perform well
in quantitative subjects, while women outperform men in marketing.