本文以台灣青少年成長歷程研究（TYP）作為分析資料，檢視就讀明星高中對於高二學生憂鬱程度的影響。在分析方法上，文使用傾向分數配對法（propensity score matching）以及謝宇等人（2011）所發展的配對-曲線平滑方法（matching-smoothing method）進行分析。採用此方法在研究問題的探究上帶來兩個優勢。首先，該方法能夠以多元的背景因素（例如家庭社經背景、學業成績等）預測出一名學生就讀明星高中傾向分數，再將背景相似的學生進行配對，從而減輕樣本選擇性（sample selection）造成的干擾。此外，此方法能夠進一步用傾向分數的高低將「社經處境不利」及「社經背景優勢」的學生進行分類探討。考量東亞脈絡下的中產家庭經常以大量的教育投資取得學業上的優勢，這樣的方式更能夠將多元的社會不平等形式所造就的差異納入討論當中。
本研究有幾項研究發現。1. 對於社經處境不利學生而言，就讀明星高中與憂鬱症狀沒有顯著的關聯。這可能是因為明星高中的學生身分作為一種地位資源，補償了這些學生的不利處境，抵銷了潛在的負面效果。2. 對於社經背景具有優勢學生而言，就讀明星高中與憂鬱症狀增加有顯著關聯。這可能源自於明星高中內部同儕能力的普遍提升，使得這些學生所擁有的高教育期望在同儕比較的過程中，反而成為壓力的來源而傷害心理健康。本文的研究結果反映了優勢階級的教育再生產策略可能產生的代價。
Utilizing data from the Taiwan Youth Project, this study examines the relationship between attending elite high schools and 11th-grade adolescents' depression levels among students who, based on their demographic characteristics and academic achievements, exhibit different propensities to attend elite institutions. This research employs propensity score matching (PSM) and the matching-smoothing method developed by Xie et al. (2011). Through this research design, the study tries to decrease the bias attributed to selection into elite high schools and to evaluate the heterogeneity effect of attending these institutions.
This study has several findings. First, for students with low propensity scores, attending elite high schools appears to have no effect on their mental health. Conversely, students with high propensity scores exhibit higher levels of depression if enrolled in elite high schools compared with their counterparts attending non-elite institutions. These results suggest that attendance at elite institutions may yield dual effects: On the one hand, it serves as a source of educational attainment and increasing status, which is particularly beneficial for disadvantaged students with limited opportunities to attend these institutions. On the other hand, as a stressful environment, elite school contexts also pose stressors detrimental to the mental well-being of adolescents, which is especially intensified for adolescents from advantaged backgrounds. This phenomenon may result from the increasing academic ability of peers in elite high schools, which turns the rigorous educational expectations of these advantaged students into sources of stress during the process of peer comparison, ultimately leading to negative influences on their mental health.
