Preferences, Information, and Entry into Academic Careers

Last registered on August 09, 2018

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Preferences, Information, and Entry into Academic Careers

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0003212

Initial registration date

August 08, 2018

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

August 09, 2018, 1:39 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Patrick Gaule

Affiliation

University of Bristol

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Danijela Vuletic

PI Affiliation

CERGE-EI

PI Name

Ina Ganguli

PI Affiliation

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2017-08-15

End date

2018-12-31

Keywords

Education

Additional Keywords

Science, universities, biased beliefs, career preferences

JEL code(s)

O31, J24

Secondary IDs

Abstract

Educational and career choices are based on beliefs about subsequent career outcomes but these beliefs may be incorrect. In this research we document that U.S. STEM doctoral students hold excessively optimistic beliefs about the share of students eventually becoming tenure-track faculty in research-intensive institutions. We then conduct a field experiment providing STEM doctoral students accurate information on historical placement rates to estimate whether this information impacts their preferences for different careers (academia versus industry) and their actual career choices.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Ganguli, Ina, Patrick Gaule and Danijela Vuletic. 2018. "Preferences, Information, and Entry into Academic Careers." AEA RCT Registry. August 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3212-1.0

Former Citation

Ganguli, Ina, Patrick Gaule and Danijela Vuletic. 2018. "Preferences, Information, and Entry into Academic Careers." AEA RCT Registry. August 09. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3212/history/32824

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Information about historical placement outcomes was provided to a random subset of students. A random subset was also provided with a link to career profiles of individuals with Chemistry PhDs.

Intervention Start Date

2017-08-15

Intervention End Date

2017-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Stated preference for doing a postdoc
Stated preferences for academic (faculty and postdoc), industry, teaching faculty positions.
Actual career choices after completion of PhD studies

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Stated preferences for different types of postgraduation jobs – postdocs, industry, or teaching positions – are measured using both hypothetical choice methods and more standard Likert measures of preferences for different careers. These will be measured in a follow-up survey.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Beliefs about share of students placing into tenure-track position
Beliefs about one's own likelihood of getting a tenure-track position
Job satisfaction
Hours worked (self reported)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We contacted close to 9000 doctoral students in U.S. chemistry departments and invited them to complete a survey on their doctoral experience and preferences for different careers. Upon completing the survey, a random subset of respondents then received a link to a website containing historical placement information. A smaller random subset also received a link to career profiles of individuals with a Chemistry PhD. We will contact the respondents from the baseline survey approximately one year later to measure outcomes.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization using a random number generator

Randomization Unit

Group randomization at the university level into three groups: in group one all students receive the information treatment, in group two nobody receives the information treatment, in group three a third of the students are randomized into the treatment, a third into receiving a link to a website from the American Chemical Society with career profiles of individuals with a Chemistry PhD, and a third are controls.

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

52 universities

Sample size: planned number of observations

1800 students in the baseline survey

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

800 control, 800 treatment, 200 alternative treatment (link to a website from the American Chemical Society with career profiles of individuals with a Chemistry PhD)

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB