Effect of CYBATHLON@school on STEM attitudes

Last registered on December 20, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Effect of CYBATHLON@school on STEM attitudes
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012689
Initial registration date
December 15, 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
December 20, 2023, 5:26 PM 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
Amela Zubovic
Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Thomas Bolli
PI Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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PI Name
Ursula Renold
PI Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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PI Name
Lena Dändliker
PI Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-01-01
End date
2026-11-30
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Switzerland, STEM, Intervention, Attitudes
JEL code(s)
I29
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates the impact of a short-term intervention called CYBATHLON@school on attitudes towards STEM subjects and STEM careers for primary school students in Switzerland. The short-term intervention will be administered with primary school children in fourth to sixth grade. The intervention consists of two workshops. The first workshop is in the class-room with teachers, where students have a 2-hour lesson about the challenges that disabled people face in their everyday life and how they can come up with solutions to help them. The second workshop lasts for half a day and is supervised by trained instructors and an ambassador with a disability. The workshop involves experiencing challenges such as using a wheel-chair, as well as programming robots linked to sensors used in prosthetic arms.
We perform a randomized controlled trial where randomization is conducted on a continuous basis between Spring 2024 and Autumn 2025. In total, we expect 80 classes with around 20 students to be involved, with 40 classes undergoing the treatment. To assess the influence of the intervention, we will conduct a survey collecting data on students’ attitudes towards STEM school subjects and STEM careers. We will administer three surveys: one before treatment as a baseline, one shortly after the intervention to measure short-term effects and one after three months. Control classes receive the treatment three months delayed.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bolli, Thomas et al. 2023. "Effect of CYBATHLON@school on STEM attitudes ." AEA RCT Registry. December 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12689-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of two workshops. The first workshop is a 2-hour school lesson, where students learn about the challenges disabled people face in their everyday live. The sec-ond workshop lasts for half a day and is supervised by trained instructors and an ambassador with a disability. The workshop involves experiencing challenges such as using a wheelchair, as well as programming robots linked to sensors used in prosthetic arms.
Intervention Start Date
2024-01-01
Intervention End Date
2026-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
• Attitudes towards STEM subjects
• Attitudes towards STEM occupations

Subsample analysis
Male vs Female: We hypothesize that girls will experience a higher increase in their atttitudes towards STEM subjects and occupations as response to the intervention.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We have classes from different schools across Switzerland applying to participate in the intervention. We will randomly select 80 classes to participate in our study, where 40 will undergo the treatment.
We will administer three surveys: one before treatment as a baseline, one shortly after the intervention to measure short-term effects and one after three months.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
The randomization will be conducted using Excel.
Randomization Unit
Randomization takes place on the class level. We use a simple cluster random assignment design (CRA), with two levels (control and treatment). 50% of the classes will be randomized to treatment.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We have a total of around 80 classes applying for the intervention. The average cluster size is 20 students per class (cluster).
Sample size: planned number of observations
The number of planned observations is 1600 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We will have around 800 students in the control group, and around 800 in the treatment group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
We estimate the number of clusters needed for a given minimum detectable effect size (MRES). We assume the MRES to be 0.17 standard deviations, as previous studies have found this effect size (see Boeve-de Pauw et al., 2020; Innes et al. 2012; Roberts, 2012). We further assume power of 0.8, a Rho (ICC) of 0.01, R2 of 0.5, and a non-response rate of 50%. This yields a total of 62 clusters.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
ETH Zurich Ethics Commission
IRB Approval Date
2023-11-21
IRB Approval Number
EK 2023-N-296
Analysis Plan