Competition and Pre-College Effort Dynamics

Last registered on December 26, 2024

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Competition and Pre-College Effort Dynamics
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015023
Initial registration date
December 14, 2024

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 26, 2024, 12:55 PM EST

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Penn State University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-12-03
End date
2025-01-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The goal of the field experiment is to create a data-generating process to structurally identify students' decision-making processes, which include preferences, production, and cost functions modeled as a function of peer learning in a competitive environment. Thus, the ultimate goal is to provide counterfactual simulations for an optimal design of competitive forces interacting with peer matching and learning. The data-generating process is inspired by Cotton et al. (2024) in that I use a website tool that includes a novel feature allowing student collaboration. Students are asked to use this website during an interim period, starting with a baseline exam and survey, followed by an endline exam and survey. The website usage allows data collection on effort choices, both individual and collaborative, in response to the competitive forces imposed by the prize structure in the final exam. I aim to use baseline and endline exams, as well as student-reported academic backgrounds, to estimate the model where the input comes from the website data, including the number of quizzes solved, daily time spent, and the number of chat messages exchanged within a pair.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ozer, Esma. 2024. "Competition and Pre-College Effort Dynamics." AEA RCT Registry. December 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15023-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
I have a 3x2 intervention design. The first dimension covers the different prize structures, and the second dimension covers whether a person is assigned to individual study mode or the peer study mode for website studying. The first arm is no competition, and the payment is based on the score in the final exam. The second is a rank-based prize among two people, and the third is a rank-based prize among ten students. The aim is to externally vary the marginal benefit to identify the model components, including production and cost functions. Separately assigning students to individual and group study modes allows estimation of the impact of peer learning.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2024-12-11
Intervention End Date
2024-12-25

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The outcomes come from three main sources: baseline and endline surveys, baseline and endline exams administered by the research team, and website activity data.

The survey responses will be used to identify student preferences and understand the mechanisms behind their effort choices. The baseline and endline exams will capture students' learning outcomes and proficiency gains.

The website activity data provides critical effort-related information, making it one of the most important outcomes of this experiment. Its high-frequency data collection enables tracking of both competitive and cooperative behaviors, offering insights into how students respond to different incentive structures and study environments.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The effort data, serving as an input in the score production function, will be constructed using the website activity data. Key measures include daily time spent on the website (for all groups), the number of math quizzes solved (for all groups), the number of quizzes solved collaboratively by a team (for peer groups), the number of text messages exchanged (for peer learning groups), and self-reported effort on a Likert scale from 1 to 10 (for all groups), collected after each website task. These variables will be used to construct two distinct effort measures: individual study effort and peer study effort. A composite effort measure is to be created through exploratory factor analysis.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
I have 12 high schools with a total sample population of approximately 1,500 students. In each school, the target population consists of 10th graders. This grade was chosen because they are mature enough to be aware of upcoming college entrance exams but not as preoccupied with exams as 11th and 12th graders, who might have less time for program engagement.

First, every student takes the same survey and baseline exam. The results of the baseline exam will be used to classify students into three performance groups: Low, Medium, and High. Within each group, students are randomly assigned to one of three competition arms:

No Competition: Prizes are awarded based solely on the final exam score.

Competition 1: A rank-based prize system where one prize is awarded among two students.

Competition 2: A rank-based prize system where three prizes are awarded among ten students.

Within each competition arm, students are further assigned to either individual study mode or peer study mode. The number of students assigned to the peer study mode is double that of the individual study mode.

Students are then informed about their assigned competition arm and their standing within their performance group based on the baseline exam. Those in the peer study mode under Competition 1 and 2 also receive information about their peers’ scores and ranks within the group.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit is at the individual level. Students are randomized into competition arms and study modes within Low, Medium, High strata.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Planned number of student observations is 1500.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Planned number of student observations is 1500.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
For each competition group, 175 students are assigned to the individual study mode, and 350 students are assigned to the peer study mode.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Office for Research Protections
IRB Approval Date
2024-02-22
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00024308

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials