Effect of Role Model Videos on Student Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Outcomes

Last registered on November 18, 2022

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Effect of Role Model Videos on Student Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Outcomes

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0010297

Initial registration date

November 16, 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

November 18, 2022, 12:34 PM EST

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

Locations

Country

China

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Tong Wang

Affiliation

University of Tokyo

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Leah Zhang

PI Affiliation

PI Name

Tatyana Avilova

PI Affiliation

PI Name

Ryuichi Tanaka

PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2022-10-17

End date

2023-01-10

Keywords

Education, Gender

Additional Keywords

primary education, secondary education, higher education, women, STEM

JEL code(s)

C90 I24 D00

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Research has shown that female students are less likely to study STEM fields and more likely to perform worse on tests for STEM-related disciplines compared to male students. Previous studies have shown that role model interventions – which expose students to information about inspirational individuals of the same gender, race, or background – could have a positive impact on those students’ academic performance. We conduct a randomized controlled trial in China to determine the effect of a role model intervention on students. Our contribution to the literature is to test the effect not only on cognitive (academic) student outcomes but also on non-cognitive (personality) outcomes. We control for grading bias when measuring cognitive outcomes through an academic exam, and we also control for a myriad of parent and teacher characteristics that may affect student outcomes.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Avilova, Tatyana et al. 2022. "Effect of Role Model Videos on Student Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Outcomes." AEA RCT Registry. November 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10297-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The treatment is a series of 8 short (less than 10 minutes) videos about accomplished Chinese women in STEM fields. Each video contains biographical information about its respective protagonist, as well as her accomplishments (impact on domestic and international society, notable awards, etc.), all set to music. In particular, the videos portray the role models' path to becoming successful scientists through perseverance and hard work. Students in classes assigned to the treatment arm are shown videos over a course of 4 weeks, two videos each week, at the start of their mathematics class on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The 8 role models are:
1. Tu Youyou (pharmaceutical chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine)
2. Zhu Xuejun (rocket scientist)
3. Xiu Ruijuan (medical scientist)
4. Wang Yaping (astronaut)
5. Liu Ying (biological chemist)
6. Liu Hongtao (biological chemist)
7. Han Xiqiu (oceanist)
8. Katherine Jin (biologist)
In general, the videos will be shown following the order of the age of the role models, from older to younger.

Intervention Start Date

2022-10-24

Intervention End Date

2022-11-18

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

We measure the following outcomes (endpoints) for students:
- Short-term cognitive outcomes (scores on a logic test and level-appropriate mathematics exam taken a week after the end of the intervention)
- Medium-term cognitive outcomes (scores on a logic test and level-appropriate mathematics exam taken 6-7 weeks after the end of the intervention)
- The Rotter Locus of Control Scale questions
- Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale questions

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Schools were recruited in September 2022 through academic contacts. To study how the impact of the intervention differs by the level of education, we recruited primary schools, middle schools and high schools.
In schools in China, each grade is split into multiple smaller classes. Primary schools have 40 students in each class, middle schools - 45 students, and high schools - 50 students. The students in each class take all of their classes together and do not interact with students from the other classes academically (although they may interact after school). Treatment is in general assigned at grade level. The only exception is one school from which we are able to recruit only one grade (4 classes), we randomly assign 2 classes to the treatment group, and the other two classes to the control group.
Each treated class receives the same treatment. In the grades in the treatment group, students view 8 short (less than 10 minutes each) videos over the course of 4 weeks, two videos per week.
Before the start of the treatment implementation, we administer several exams/questionnaires to the students, their parents, and their teachers to collect data on baseline characteristics.
- Students take a baseline mathematics exam (which is of a similar difficulty level but contains different questions than the exam administered after treatment); The Rotter Locus of Control Scale Questions; The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Questions; Sternberg Thinking Style in Teaching Questionnaires
- Parents take the Big Five Personsality Questionnaire.
- Teachers take the Big Five Personality Questionnaire.
After the completion of the intervention, students are administered additional exams/questionnaires to collect information on outcome measures of interest (for more information, see the Primary Outcomes section).
The mathematics exams and questionnaires administered to students are conducted inclass. Links for questionnaires administered to parents and teachers are sent to study participants over WeChat, a Chinese social media app. WeChat was chosen as the means of administering the surveys because of its near universal use. Questionnaire responses are collected through Qualtrics and stored securely on encrypted hard drives.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization conducted in the office using random number generator.

Randomization Unit

Treatment is randomized at grade level within each school participating in the study.

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

66 classes

Sample size: planned number of observations

2800 students

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Middle School A: 4 classes in Grade 8 as treatment group; 4 classes in Grade 7 as control group
Middle School B: 4 classes in Grade 7 as treatment group; 6 classes in Grade 8 as control group
Primary School C: 4 classes in Grade 5 as treatment group; 4 classes in Grade 6 as control group
School D (which contain both primary and middle school grades): 4 classes in Grade 6 and 4 classes in Grade 7 as treatment group; 4 classes in Grade 5 and 4 classes in Grade 8 in control group
Primary School E: 4 classes in Grade 6 as treatment group; 4 classes in Grade 5 as control group
Primary School F: 4 classes in Grade 6 as treatment group; 4 classes in Grade 5 as control group
Middle School G: 2 classes in Grade 7 as treatment group; 2 classes in Grade 7 as control group
High School H: 2 classes Grade 1 as treatment group; 2 classes in Grade 2 as control group

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB