Beliefs, Effort and College Success

Last registered on June 04, 2019
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Beliefs, Effort and College Success
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004261
Initial registration date
May 31, 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
June 04, 2019, 12:13 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
CA

Primary Investigator

Name
Derek Rury
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2019-04-04
End date
2023-07-10
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Using information based on historic time use data from an online homework application, we calculate a statistically significant positive relationship between time spent on homework and final grade in an introductory microeconomics course. Along with collective important baseline questions about beliefs about ability and study effort, we randomly present this information to a subsequent class of intro microeconomics. We plan to measure the effect of this information on study effort as measuring both by student time spent on the online homework application as well as self-reported study time before multiple exams throughout the academic period.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rury, Derek. 2019. "Beliefs, Effort and College Success." AEA RCT Registry. June 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4261-1.0
Former Citation
Rury, Derek. 2019. "Beliefs, Effort and College Success." AEA RCT Registry. June 04. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4261/history/47488
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Using information based on historic time use data from an online homework application, we calculate a statistically significant positive relationship between time spent on homework and final grade in an introductory microeconomics course. More specifically, we calculate that we find that an additional 3.5 hours of studying per week is associated with an increase in a full letter grade in the course. We randomly present this information to a subsequent class of intro microeconomics.
Intervention Start Date
2019-04-04
Intervention End Date
2019-04-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We are primarily interested in the effect of the treatment on time spent on the online homework application as well as self-reported study time.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
We expect this information to influence students' perceptions about the returns to study effort, thereby potentially altering their study time.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We are interested in the distribution of beliefs about ability and effort by important demographic variables, such as gender, ethnic background and socio-economic status, to name a few.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Subsets of students may have more correct or incorrect beliefs about the returns to study effort. We are interested in studying the treatment effect and how it varies across these groups.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We administer the treatment during the first midterm of the course. Treatment and control exams are alternated between students as they are passed out. The front page of both is blank. Students are then told to turn over the first page, so that on the back of the front page, there are a few questions followed by a paragraph of text. For the treatment group, the paragraph contains the information treatment, as for the control group the paragraph contains information about the benefits of research participation. We then collect all students study sheets before the exam begins.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Since exams alternated between treatment and control, the way students assorted themselves in seats in the classroom and then how exams were passed out was the randomization process
Randomization Unit
The treatment was randomized at the student level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
750 students
Sample size: planned number of observations
750 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
375 students treatment 375 students information treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of California at Davis
IRB Approval Date
2019-04-11
IRB Approval Number
1384205-1
Analysis Plan

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