Motivating Students: Exploring the Effect of Incentives on Test Scores

Student effort is a crucial input in a child’s learning production function. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of monetary and non-monetary incentives on student performance.

This paper implements a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) among school children in Bangladesh to examine the impact of monetary and non-monetary incentives on student performance. Students are randomly assigned to one of six groups, with the initial five groups receiving various incentives—financial rewards and non-financial rewards (in both gain and loss settings), and social recognition. The sixth group serves as an unincentivized control. All participating students undergo assessments, including a timed evaluation that specifically evaluates critical thinking, pattern-based comprehension, and quantitative problem-solving skills, linked to the incentives. The primary goal is to understand how incentives, framed in gain setting and loss setting, contribute to student motivation and academic achievement. Additionally, I will investigate the persistent effects of incentives by examining student performance after the incentives are removed. This study will provide comprehensive insights into the complex relationship between incentives, student motivation, and academic performance among children in Bangladesh.

2024-01-15

2024-05-30

Test scores

See PAP.

Students will be randomly assigned to different treatment variations to capture the impact of different types of incentives on test scores.

Students will be randomly assigned to one of six groups, with the initial five groups receiving incentives, and the sixth group serving as an unincentivized control group. In Treatment-1 (T1) and Treatment-2 (T2) students receive non-financial incentives in a gain and loss framing, respectively. Specifically, students achieving over 80% on a timed assessment in Treatment-1 receive a certificate of excellence and a congratulatory letter to their parents. In Treatment-2, participants receive the certificate and letter before the exam but are required to return them if they fail to score 80%. In Treatments 3 (T3) and 4 (T4) students receive monetary rewards in Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 50 with gain and loss framing, respectively. In T3, students receive the cash award for scoring 80% or more, while in group T4, they receive the envelope beforehand, and must return it if they don't reach the 80% threshold. Next, Treatment-5 (T5) offers students social recognition by capturing pictures of high-performing students with a digital camera, immediately showcasing them on the school board for exemplary performances; students scoring over 80% also receive applause from classmates, enhancing their social image in school. Lastly, Treatment-6 (T6) serves as the control group, receiving no incentives for their performance in the timed assessment.

The randomization process is done using chits within the school.

Individual

No

N/A

1230 students

205 in each treatment arm

See PAP.