Experimental Design
The target population for the randomized controlled trial consisted of all students at three universities in South Africa enrolled in final-year Economics courses, which are prerequisites to continue with postgraduate studies in South Africa. To encourage participation, we introduced the project during the first lecture of each course, where students were informed about the study's objectives, similar to the content of the informed consent form. To further boost engagement, students were entered into a lucky draw for each survey completed and video watched.
The RCT was conducted over five stages. In the first stage, students completed a baseline survey, which collected demographic information, their plans for the following year (e.g., further study or employment), and their perceptions and preferences regarding Economics. Students were also asked to rate their agreement with statements related to their interest in Economics, such as "I like Economics," "I want to pursue a career in Economics," "I intend to pursue further studies in Economics," and "Economics is equally open to men and women."
After the baseline survey, students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. During the following three rounds, each group was shown a series of video interviews. The control group viewed interviews with health experts who provided advice on topics such as maintaining a healthy diet and the importance of exercise—content unrelated to the study's outcome variables. In contrast, the treatment group watched interviews with economists from various fields, including academia, non-profits, the private sector, and multilateral organizations.
To ensure engagement, students in both groups answered two questions after watching each video. They were also provided with information on applying to postgraduate Economics programs at their universities. Additionally, students were asked an open-ended question about their thoughts on the video and whether it changed their perception of Economics. All videos were sent out before the application deadlines for the postgraduate Economics courses.
In the final round, students completed an endline survey that mirrored the baseline survey but included additional questions to detect any spillover effects and confirm participation in the RCT. Although students in the treatment group were exposed to three different economists, the endline survey aimed to disentangle the specific aspects of the intervention that had the most significant impact on students' perceptions.