Math skills, perceptions of fit, and occupational choice

Last registered on January 19, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Math skills, perceptions of fit, and occupational choice
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010215
Initial registration date
October 17, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 17, 2022, 5:35 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
January 19, 2024, 12:40 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Switzerland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Melanie Wasserman
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Anne Brenoe
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2022-10-18
End date
2024-01-01
Keywords
Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study investigates whether the provision of gender-specific information on math ability and the suitability of various occupations affects beliefs regarding math ability/suitability, occupational search behavior, and occupational choice. We conduct a field experiment with Swiss students who are imminently choosing apprenticeships, a consequential decision for their eventual occupational outcomes. The experiment is conducted through an online survey in which students are randomized into two groups: (1) a treatment group that is shown a gender-specific information video that emphasizes that girls (boys) tend to be under- (over-) confident in math, which leads them to neglect certain more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships, and then advertises several occupations that are more (less) math-intensive for students to consider, and (2) a control group that is shown a video with information unrelated to specific occupational requirements/fit. We analyze whether the video affects (1) beliefs about own math ability (2) beliefs about the suitability of more (less) math-intensive occupations for themselves, (3) beliefs about the suitability of more (less) math-intensive occupations for other students with the same gender, (4) interest in more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships, and (5) applications for more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Brenoe, Anne and Melanie Wasserman. 2024. "Math skills, perceptions of fit, and occupational choice." AEA RCT Registry. January 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10215-2.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2022-10-18
Intervention End Date
2023-10-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We estimate the effect of the treatment on:
(1) girls' (boys') beliefs about own math ability
(2) girls' (boys') beliefs about suitability of more (less) math-intensive occupations for themselves
(3) girls' (boys') beliefs about the suitability of more (less) math-intensive occupations for other students with the same gender
(4) interest of girls (boys) in more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships, as measured by demand for a more (less) math-intensive trial apprenticeship and demand for information about apprenticeships
(5) applications for more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships, as measured by submitted applications from the largest online application platform for apprenticeships
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We recruit study participants through schools, the largest online application site for Swiss apprenticeships, and career fairs.

The experiment is conducted through an online survey in which students are randomized into two groups (50% in each):
(1) a treatment group that is shown a gender-specific information video that emphasizes that girls (boys) tend to be under- (over-) confident in math, which leads them to neglect certain more (less) math-intensive apprenticeships, and then advertises several occupations that are more (less) math-intensive for students to consider
(2) a control group that is shown a video with information unrelated to specific occupational requirements/fit.

We stratify based on the respondent's gender (male/female), whether they have an apprenticeship contract already, and a proxy for having high or low math skills.

After the video, the survey asks girls (boys) their beliefs about their own math skills, perceptions of own fit, perceptions of others' fit, and willingness to sign up for a trial apprenticeship in a more (less) math-intensive occupations. We survey students two weeks later to assess persistence of perceptions of math skills and fit. At the end of the apprenticeship application cycle, we will merge the survey data with administrative data from the largest online platform for Swiss apprenticeships in order to observe submitted applications.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done by a computer (javascript in Qualtrics). Upon completing the demographics portion of the survey, students are randomized into the treatment video or control video conditions.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3,000 students who do not yet have an apprenticeship contract
Sample size: planned number of observations
3,000 students who do not yet have an apprenticeship contract
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,500 treatment students, 1,500 control students
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Zurich Human Subjects Committee of the Faculty of Economics, Business Administration, and Information Technology
IRB Approval Date
2022-08-22
IRB Approval Number
OEC IRB # 2022-066
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials