I need to know the tangible values of thesis in higher education. How can I calculate the effectiveness or benefits of passing "thesis" in comparison to its costs?
Before answering your question, you must answer the following:
1- For whom are you considering an analysis? The thesis writer? A project or activity that is the focus of the thesis? Benefits and costs or cost-effectiveness for what entity?
2- Once you have chosen an entity, what are the list of benefits that the thesis addresses, and is there research that links these to the thesis or its contents?
3- Only after these questions are answered can you address a benefit-cost analysis of the thesis.
H. L.
Before looking at monetary benefits or costs, you must establish the categories of benefits and costs and to whom.
Thanks to all who participate in this discussion. Special thanks to Henry M. Levin who actively takes part. I appreciate your valuable answers.
My further explanation:
Consider that writing a thesis (which equals to as low as 3–4 ECTS credits to more than 30 in different disciplines) costs A dollars. I like to know if this cost is worthwhile? generally the goal of thesis writing is empowering the students with research competencies. is it possible to measure the students' or the institute achievements in result of writing thesis? can this measurement be presented in monetary scale? for example, writing a thesis costs A$ and benefited B$.
In order to measure costs, you need to identify the requirements or ingredients for doing a thesis. For any individual this will vary by topic and student ability, motivation, and background.
To measure benefits, you would need to know the "extra" earnings that the thesis would generate. To do this you would need to have panel data on persons who were similar in terms of socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, education and other characteristics who had written theses and who had not written theses to estimater the returns to the thesis over a meaningful time period. It would be difficult to get such a data set, and the statistical analysis would be challenging.
Thank you again Henry.
In my country (Iran) almost all students in higher education system and specially in my field (dentistry) need to write thesis before graduation.
Do you have any idea how I can document that writing thesis is worthwhile or vice versa?
Mentions subject because I see that just few students like doing thesis and most of them do it inevitably. The product (written thesis) also would not use properly and each year a lot of time and money spend on thesis writing without a tangible outcome.