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Evaluating the effectiveness of goal-setting strategies for NEETs

Last registered on February 21, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Evaluating the effectiveness of goal-setting strategies for NEETs
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010965
Initial registration date
February 17, 2023

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
February 21, 2023, 10:09 AM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Sara Helene Ronningstad
Affiliation
University of Stavanger
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Venke Furre Haaland
PI Affiliation
University of Stavanger
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PI Name
Mari Rege
PI Affiliation
University of Stavanger
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-02-05
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
Goal-setting, NEET, youth, social-emotional skills, grit, motivation
JEL code(s)
J24
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Almost 10 percent of young adults in Norway are “Not in Education, Employment or Training” (NEET) (OECD 2018). In order to improve their current situation, these youth need to show self-discipline and work towards their goals, whether this goal is to enter the labor market or achieve education. We have developed an app (RØST) which is based on protocols from psychology and supports applicants for work or education. We will investigate if this app is effective in helping youth who are currently unemployed and not in school to take steps to achieve their goals.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Haaland, Venke Furre, Mari Rege and Sara Helene Ronningstad. 2023. "Evaluating the effectiveness of goal-setting strategies for NEETs." AEA RCT Registry. February 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10965-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This study is a part of the evaluation of the effectiveness of an app developed for NEET-youth in Norway. The current study focuses on the effectiveness of the first module on goal-setting.
Intervention Start Date
2023-02-06
Intervention End Date
2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Reported goal achievement one week after
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Goal achievement = Answers "Yes" to the question: “Did you take a small step towards your goal?”
The alternative is to answer "No".

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
- Whether the participant clicked ANY of the links provided at the end of the session (binary)
-How many of the links were clicked at least once (numeric)
-Reported mood one week after
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Mood = Participants rank their mood from 1-5, based on smiley faces and words that describe each mood.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The participants in the study are NEET-youth who receive welfare benefits. 1300 youth will get an invitation to participate in the project.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Upon consenting to participate in the study, the youth will be randomized to control or treatment by the app at the individual level.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered
Sample size: planned number of observations
383
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
191
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The minimum detectable effect size (MDES) for the sample is calculated through using Optimal Design Software (Spybrooke et al., 2001). With 383 participants and individual randomization and without adding controls, the MDES is approximately 0.29 standard deviations for 80 % power and 95% confidence interval. If we assume that control variables explain 20% of the variation in the outcome variable (R^2 = 0,2 for control variables), this is reduced to 0.26. For reference, a meta-analysis found that effect sizes of MCII (with written content) on various outcomes were within the confidence intervals of 0.15-0.39 of a pooled standard deviation for interventions (Wang et al, 2021).
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
NSD Data Protection Official for Research
IRB Approval Date
2022-04-11
IRB Approval Number
353487
Analysis Plan