Heterogeneous Impacts of Financial Incentives on Math Test Performance by Ethnicity : Jewish Secular, Arab and Jewish Ultra - Orthodox

Last registered on May 21, 2025

Pre-Trial

General Information

Title

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0015841

Initial registration date

May 12, 2025

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

May 21, 2025, 2:08 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Israel

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Nelly Zamshman

Affiliation

University of Haifa

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Todd R. Kaplan

PI Affiliation

University of Haifa

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Yuval Ofek-Shanny

PI Affiliation

University of Haifa

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2025-04-06

End date

2025-06-30

Keywords

Behavior, Finance & Microfinance

Additional Keywords

Behavioral economics, financial incentive, ethnicities in Israel, concept of money

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Behavioral economics recognizes that decision-making is influenced by various cognitive biases, social factors, emotions, etc. Incentives are a field whose development owes much to the contribution of economists, psychologists and researchers from different disciplines. This inter-disciplinary input reflects a broader understanding of human behavior and explains the influence of incentives on motivation, which is not solely driven by the desire to maximize profit. In behavioral economics, incentives are seen as tools that shape behavior, of both adults and children. Incentives have also been studied in the field of education. Research has investigated the impact of different types of incentives on the learning performance of students of varying ages. Previous studies found that the effect of incentives can be either positive or negative, depending on variables such as the type of the incentive, the timing of the incentive, the age of the recipient, religious affiliation, and more. This research will examine the extent to which financial incentives affect performance in mathematics tests among secondary-school students from Jewish Secular, Arab and Jewish Ultra - Orthodox ethnicities in Israel. Approximately 270 students will participate, with around 90 students from each ethnicity, equally distributed between genders. The research assumption is that differences will be found in how financial incentives affect different populations due to varying perceptions of the concept of “money”. Additionally, there is evidence of differences in the perception of incentives resulting from the Big Five personality traits. Therefore, this research will also explore the influence of these traits on the effectiveness of incentives. Quantitative data collection tools will be utilized for this research.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Kaplan, Todd R. , Yuval Ofek-Shanny and Nelly Zamshman. 2025. "Heterogeneous Impacts of Financial Incentives on Math Test Performance by Ethnicity : Jewish Secular, Arab and Jewish Ultra - Orthodox ." AEA RCT Registry. May 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15841-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date

2025-04-06

Intervention End Date

2025-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The key outcome variable is mathematics test performance among secondary -school students.
This performance will be measured after implementing two types of financial incentives: individual-based and group-based.
The study aims to explore how this outcome is influenced by:
Ethnic background, based on the assumption that different groups may have varying cultural perceptions of money.
Big Five personality traits, which are expected to moderate the effectiveness of incentives.
Additionally, the research will consider how students’ perceptions of the concept of money relate to their motivation and performance, serving as a possible explanatory factor for differences in responsiveness to incentives.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The research will be conducted in Israel, across four secondary schools, during regular school hours.
Approximately 270 students will participate in the study, with equal representation from three sectors (Jewish, Arab, and Haredi) and balanced gender distribution.
Each student will complete three mathematics tests in a multiple-choice format. The tests will be similar in structure and difficulty but will differ in terms of the incentive condition:
Test 1 – conducted without any financial incentive.
Test 2 – includes an individual financial incentive, in the form of a voucher for purchasing educational items. The value of the incentive will also be influenced by the class’s overall performance.
Test 3 – includes a group financial incentive designated for a shared class activity. The incentive amount will be determined based on the class’s collective performance.
The tests will be conducted in the students’ native language (Hebrew or Arabic) using tablets provided in advance. Before each test, students will receive instructions in their native language and will be informed that the tests are for research purposes only and will not affect their school grades.
Before beginning the series of tests, students will complete a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward money and their personality traits based on the Big Five model. The questionnaires will be available in both Hebrew and Arabic.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

In each sector, four classes will participate. The first test will be administered uniformly to all classes without any incentive. The assignment of the second and third test conditions (individual incentive vs. group incentive) will be determined by a coin flip for each class.

Randomization Unit

The unit of randomization is the class. Each class is randomly assigned to one of the two incentive conditions (individual or group) using a coin flip. All students within a class receive the same condition.Randomization Unit: Class.

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

The randomization is done at the class level, with each class being treated as a separate unit. A total of 12 classes (4 from each of the 3 sectors) are randomly assigned to different treatment conditions.

Sample size: planned number of observations

Each student will participate in 3 tests, resulting in 810 observations in total (270 students × 3 tests).

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

This study employs a within-subjects experimental design in which each student will participate in all three test conditions. A total of 270 students will be included in the study, with approximately 90 students from each ethnicity . Since each student completes all three tests, the total number of test observations will be 810 (270 students × 3 tests).

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB