Random experiment on relative performance feedback in Higher Education at URJC

This article shows the effect of providing feedback to university students of the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid on their percentile in the distribution of grades in different tests carried out throughout the second semester of the 2022 academic year. To carry out the study, carried out a randomized experiment among students, with the aim of determining whether greater transparency in the results throughout the semester increased performance at the end of the course. It is intended to demonstrate that informing students about their relative position during the semester based on the percentile they obtain with respect to the class can achieve added motivation in order to improve final grades.

2022-03-21

2023-09-30

We consider that the results obtained by the students in the treatment group will have better final grades.

The final study will be carried out in different degrees in which the researchers of said article teach classes at the URJC. To do this, students will be divided into two groups, a first treatment group and a second control group. Both groups must sign a form that guarantees the voluntariness of belonging to the random experiment and in which they will be informed concisely about the experiment carried out, guaranteeing the privacy at all times of the personal data of the student under study.
The experiment will be carried out for a minimum period of one year, following the evolution of the students throughout the course in one of the main universities in Spain. The students of the control group will only receive information about their own performance in absolute terms in each test carried out, while the students of the treatment group, along with the grade, will be provided with the percentile range in which they are with respect to to the class. In addition, once the final exams have been completed, the students will answer a survey about their satisfaction with the course and their possible academic improvement by knowing their relative position with respect to the class. Finally, An important characteristic of the study is that a questionnaire was carried out at the beginning of the course to learn more about the sample and, above all, the previous beliefs of the students, which will allow us to understand the treatment that affects the performance and satisfaction of students. the students. This questionnaire is for informational purposes only and is therefore anonymous.
Once the study is finished, it is intended to demonstrate two issues to understand the effects of providing feedback to students. A first question focuses on whether students who know their percentage rank with respect to the class seek to maximize their own results, or whether they are also concerned about their relative position competitively. This may be because relative performance translates into different outcomes or individuals are inherently concerned with relative position in performance. The second question considers that the prior beliefs of individuals regarding their abilities and those of their peers will help to understand if, in the absence of information, it is possible to overestimate their relative position. In a context where individuals have competitive preferences,

Randomization made with university students

Treatment group will be the students who will receive the percentile during the study.
The control group will be the students to analyze the effects made in the treated group

Yes

Minimum 300 students

Minimum 300 students

150 students control and 150 students treatment