Gender differences in motivation and academic performance

Last registered on May 19, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Gender differences in motivation and academic performance

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0011431

Initial registration date

May 16, 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

May 19, 2023, 10:36 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Italy

Region

Emilia Romagna

Primary Investigator

Name

Giuseppe Pignataro

Affiliation

University of Bologna

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Juliana Bernhofer

PI Affiliation

University of Bologna

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Cristina Specchi

PI Affiliation

University of Bologna

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Luca Bonacini

PI Affiliation

University of Bologna

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-05-17

End date

2023-06-10

Keywords

Education, Gender, Labor

Additional Keywords

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, gender effects, STEM

JEL code(s)

I23; J16; J24

Secondary IDs

Prior work

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

Abstract

This study examines the impact of motivational messages on gender differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation concerning academic performance and job selection preferences. The hypotheses being tested are centered around the belief that motivational messages have the potential to influence gender-specific motivational factors, ultimately affecting individuals' attitudes and choices in educational and professional domains.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Bernhofer, Juliana et al. 2023. "Gender differences in motivation and academic performance ." AEA RCT Registry. May 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11431-1.0

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Students are divided into two treatment arms: STEM vs. non-STEM majors. The information treatment involves two targeted messages for each of the two arms vs one control group in each arm, for a total of six treatment groups. We want to explore what type of message is more effective in shifting students’ job selection preferences and exam performance. The first message (T1) aims at triggering intrinsic motivation; the second message (T2) frames job outcomes by stimulating intrinsic motivation. The control group does not receive any message.

Intervention Start Date

2023-05-20

Intervention End Date

2023-06-10

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

• Effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation triggers on grades, ECTS credits and number of exams during the following exam session (June/July 2023), comparing STEM and non-STEM degrees and gender differences
• Effect of motivational vignettes on job selection preferences

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

• Within-variation of job selection preferences
• Gender differences in motivation related to STEM degrees

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

By letting subjects answer two similar questions on job selection preferences, one at the beginning of the questionnaire and one after the treatments, we will be able to control for within-subject variations, assessing the impact of motivational messages triggering intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on changes on job selection preferences.
Also, in a post-treatment assessment we will control for socio-demographic background, cognitive skills and high-school characteristics of the student to further understand the gender differences in motivation, in particular in relation to STEM majors.

Experimental Design

We invited the full population of university students in the Emilia-Romagna Region who benefit from the financial aid to participate in the experiment, i.e., a total of 24000 students in the 2022/2023 academic year. They will receive a questionnaire through a personalized link. At the beginning of the survey, they are asked to express their job selection preferences (e.g., job stability, independency, work-life balance, etc.). They will then answer other questions related to their family background, role models and personality. At the end of the questionnaire, we will administer the motivation vignettes as follows:

For students enrolled in STEM disciplines
• T1_a: Motivational message highlighting aspects triggering intrinsic motivation in the student’s future job in a STEM discipline (e.g., high social impact of their STEM knowledge)
• T2_a: Motivational message highlighting aspects triggering extrinsic motivation in the student’s future job in a STEM discipline (career and high salary)
• Control_a: No message

For students enrolled in other disciplines
• T1_b: Motivational message highlighting aspects triggering intrinsic motivation in the student’s future job (e.g., high social impact)
• T2_b: Motivational message highlighting aspects triggering extrinsic motivation in the student’s future job (career and high salary)
• Control_b: No message

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization performed by Qualtrics, the survey software we use to conduct the survey.

Randomization Unit

Discipline (STEM vs. other discipline), Gender (M/F), University (University of Bologna vs. other universities in Emilia-Romagna)

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

8 clusters

Sample size: planned number of observations

15% of the full population: 0.15*24.000=3600

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

1200 students in the control, 1200 students in the T1 treatment, 1200 students in the T2 treatment

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

Given sample size and sample variance, we can calculate the smallest real effect size which we would be able to detect at 70% power. This value is called the minimal detectable effect with 70% power, or 0.7 MDE.

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB