Gender differences in persistence in competitive educational and career tracks: pilot experiment

Last registered on March 23, 2019

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Gender differences in persistence in competitive educational and career tracks: pilot experiment

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0004040

Initial registration date

March 22, 2019

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

March 23, 2019, 8:29 PM 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

Olga Shurchkov

Affiliation

Wellesley College

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Gauri Kartini Shastry

PI Affiliation

Wellesley College

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2019-02-01

End date

2022-01-31

Keywords

Education, Gender, Labor

Additional Keywords

competitiveness, feedback, information

JEL code(s)

C90, J16, J71

Secondary IDs

Abstract

The broad research agenda which includes this pilot RCT aims to examine the behavioral explanations for why women are underrepresented in highly competitive and male-dominated fields of study and subsequent careers like finance, economics, and technology. The pilot will inform us on how best to design the full RCT aimed at helping capable and interested female students persist in their major and career tracks. Using experimental methodology, we will investigate the way in which gender differences in perceptions of and reactions to information can lead to differences in persistence in competitive environments. The RCT will be conducted at an undergraduate institution and will gauge the effects of feedback combined with targeted information about past outcomes on the subsequent decision to pursue one's proposed major or career, particularly in STEM fields where women tend to be underrepresented. Building upon our previous results from a controlled online experiment, the field experiments will shed light on how behavioral traits and short-term decisions can drive long-term real-world educational and other economic outcomes.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Shastry, Gauri Kartini and Olga Shurchkov. 2019. "Gender differences in persistence in competitive educational and career tracks: pilot experiment." AEA RCT Registry. March 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4040-1.0

Former Citation

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2020-02-03

Intervention End Date

2021-01-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

(1) the attribution of noisy feedback information (midterm and other grades in a given course) to luck vs. own ability; (2) perceived “success” in the course; (3) changes to major/career track; (4) perceptions of instructor quality; (5) subsequent actual course and major selection; (6) grades in subsequent courses; (7) post-graduation outcomes (graduate school; first job).

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The intervention will take place at an undergraduate institution. Students will be randomized into two treatments. In the control treatment no information beyond course grades and grade distributions would be provided. In the role model information treatment, students would will receive targeted information about real-world outcomes associated with receiving a particular grade.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

randomization done in office by a computer

Randomization Unit

course level

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

20 course sections

Sample size: planned number of observations

400 students

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

10 course sections control; 10 course sections treatment. The relatively small sample size is because this is a pilot to inform the design of a full-blown RCT.

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB