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Trial Title
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Before
The effect of uncertainty on search behavior
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After
The effect of occupation information on expectations and search behavior
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Abstract
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Before
How do students respond to uncertainty in their job search? This study uses a survey experiment to understand and affect the decision-making process of investment, career choices, and labor market outcomes. Specifically, it will assess dynamic updates in students' career choices and beliefs while considering different baseline factors affecting job search behavior.
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After
How do students respond to uncertainty in their job search? This study uses a survey experiment to understand and affect the wage expectations, search behaviors, and occupation choices. Specifically, it will assess updates in students' choices and expectations while considering different baseline factors affecting these outcomes and job search behaviors.
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Last Published
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Before
May 21, 2024 11:13 AM
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After
October 31, 2025 11:13 PM
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Intervention (Public)
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Before
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After
The information treatment will provide detailed occupation-level information to students.
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Intervention Start Date
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Before
July 01, 2024
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After
November 03, 2025
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Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
Primary outcomes will center around search behavior.
Search-related outcomes
- Beliefs and expectations (including occupation choice beliefs at different points in time, different aspects of the choice space of the occupations, wage expectations including reservation wage)
- Willingness to pay with real stakes for different information related to job search, for example, willingness to pay for continued access to the information provided by the intervention, the occupation of the mentor if provided with a mentor, other extra information about occupations, and peers
- Actual search behavior and knowledge about the occupation, for example: usage of the tool to access information related to different treatment arms, attending any career-related co-curriculum activities or events, internships, course choices, grades, and the distance between course syllabus and the task content of the occupations, other investment decisions, search activities, or the use of other information sources
Labor market outcomes:
- Detailed job market outcomes recorded in the Graduation Employment Survey administered by the university (for example, salaries and other job-related outcomes, search-related information such as start and end dates, internships and part-time jobs, offers, courses, main challenges, and reasons for their choices).
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After
Beliefs, expectations, and occupation choices
Search-related outcomes
- Beliefs and expectations (including occupation choice beliefs at different points in time, different aspects of the choice space of the occupations, wage expectations including reservation wage)
- Willingness to pay with real stakes for different information related to job search, for example, willingness to pay for continued access to the information provided by the intervention, the occupation of the mentor if provided with a mentor, other extra information about occupations, and peers
- Actual search behavior and knowledge about the occupation, for example: usage of the tool to access information related to different treatment arms, attending any career-related co-curriculum activities or events, internships, course choices, grades, and the distance between course syllabus and the task content of the occupations, other investment decisions, search activities, or the use of other information sources
Labor market outcomes:
- Detailed job market outcomes recorded in the Graduation Employment Survey administered by the university (for example, salaries and other job-related outcomes, search-related information such as start and end dates, internships and part-time jobs, offers, courses, main challenges, and reasons for their choices).
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Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
By exogenously changing students’ exposure to different information, we study the effect on their search behaviors. Students will be randomized to different information treatment arms and a control arm, and they will be tracked across time.
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After
By exogenously changing students’ exposure to different information, we study the effect on their expectations and occupation choices. Students will be randomized to a treatment arm and a control arm, and they will be tracked across time.
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Randomization Method
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Before
Computer
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Otree experiment
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Planned Number of Clusters
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Before
1000 students
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1500 students
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Planned Number of Observations
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Before
1000 students
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After
1500 students
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Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
250 in the treatment arm 1 (median information)
250 in the treatment arm 2 (spread information)
250 in the treatment arm 2 (growth information)
250 control
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After
750 in treatment and 750 in the control arm
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Power calculation: Minimum Detectable Effect Size for Main Outcomes
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Before
α = 0.05, β = 0.1, δ = 0.15 SD
Within-subject, F-test, H1: at least 2 of the 4 means differ
Assume 25% attrition
Required sample size: 848 (656 if β = 0.2)
Pilot experiment (N=100-200) Main study (N=800)
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After
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Intervention (Hidden)
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Before
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After
Students will be provided with detailed occupation-level wage information based on recent years' graduation employment surveys. Students can choose from a long list of detailed occupation categories, and the treatment group will receive percentile wage information and personalized predicted average wage information based on their academic profiles. Students in the control group will receive information based on the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US BLS. The treatment group will also have access to this information.
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Secondary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
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After
Search behavior and search activities
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