Information Intervention about the Productivity of Effort at university - BOOST2018 study wave 2

Last registered on February 17, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Information Intervention about the Productivity of Effort at university - BOOST2018 study wave 2
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004819
Initial registration date
February 15, 2022

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
February 17, 2022, 5:12 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Adeline Delavande
Affiliation
University of Technology Sydney
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Emilia Del Bono
PI Affiliation
University of Essex
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2015-11-23
End date
2024-01-01
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
subjective expectations; non-cognitive skills, higher education, information intervention
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
ES/M008622/1
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We evaluate the effect of a randomized information intervention targeted at first-year university students to enhance their beliefs that effort is productive. Existing research suggests that students endowed with “growth mindset”, a belief that one’s intelligence and cognitive abilities are malleable so can be increased through effort, rather than fixed traits; are more likely to be academically successful.

The objectives of this study were to understand (i) whether a light-touch information intervention can improve academic outcomes over the medium term (4-5 months later) and (ii) the mechanisms through which any such benefits occur, for example through changes in study habits.

First year undergraduate students at one UK university were randomised with stratification by demographic characteristics, subject of study and prior educational performance to receive an invitation to a 1 hour computer laboratory session during which (unknown to them) either our intervention or a control protocol would be delivered. 1026 attended (496 control and 530 treatment).

The intervention consisted of a video describing evidence on malleability of intelligence and suggestions on study habits to put this into practice followed by incentivised multiple choice and letter-writing tasks designed to encourage participants to engage with the information they have just received. The control group received a video and incentivised tasks of the same structure but designed to have no effect on behaviour.

The primary outcomes of interest are students’ belief about the productivity of academic effort, their growth mindset, their first year mark (grade point average) and graduation outcome. Secondary outcomes to understand the mechanisms are lecture and class attendance, quantity of study, and study habits such as use of active learning methods, and spacing out of material on one topic.

We will focus on Home students and investigate heterogeneity in treatment effect by socio-economic status, gender, and past academic outcome (tariff entry).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Del Bono, Emilia and Adeline Delavande. 2022. "Information Intervention about the Productivity of Effort at university - BOOST2018 study wave 2." AEA RCT Registry. February 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4819-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This was a single-armed intervention. The treatment group were shown a video describing evidence on malleability of intelligence and advice on study habits to put this into practice followed by incentivised multiple choice and letter-writing tasks designed to encourage participants to engage with the information they have just received. The control group received a video and incentivised tasks of the same structure but featuring information on the specialities of different regions of the brain that was designed to have no effect on behaviour.
Intervention Start Date
2016-01-18
Intervention End Date
2016-02-11

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Growth mindset score, subjective expectations about the productivity of effort, First-year academic Achievement
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Growth mindset score: 4-item ‘Mindset quiz’ battery (from Dweck, 2008, ‘Theories of Intelligence Scale’);
Subjective expectations about the productivity of effort: individual-specific expectations about (i) how attendance and study time affect one's ability, and (iii) how attendance, study time and ability affect academic achievement
First-year academic Achievement: GPA, exam mark, First (GPA>=70), Good (GPA>=60), Pass (GPA>=40)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Attendance; Study quantity; Study habits; Graduation outcome
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Attendance: University administrative data on attendance at lectures and classes from week after up to five months after intervention period.
Study quantity: Self-designed survey instrument on hours of study per week outside of lectures and classes.
Study habits: Self-designed survey instrument on composition of self-reported study hours into five categories; Agreement with statements on “How do you decide what to study next?” adapted from Kornell and Bjork (2007) and Yan et al (2014).

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This was a single-armed intervention. The treatment group a video describing evidence on malleability of intelligence and advice on study habits to put this into practice followed by incentivised multiple choice and letter-writing tasks designed to encourage participants to engage with the information they have just received. The control group received a video and incentivised tasks of the same structure but featuring information on the specialities of different regions of the brain that was designed to have no effect on behaviour.

These protocols were delivered in a computer laboratory and took approximately 20 minutes to complete (10 minutes video plus 10 minutes multiple choice and letter-writing tasks). Participants received up to £13 compensation based on their comprehension and length of text written. These tasks immediately followed a series of incentivised tasks designed to experimentally elicit non-cognitive traits that took approximately 40 minutes.
There were 32 laboratory sessions of each type (treatment and control), over 16 days. Individuals were randomly assigned to receive an invitation with a link to the list of treatment or control laboratory sessions.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization using the Stata uniform number generator.
Randomization Unit
Individual-level randomisation
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1300
Sample size: planned number of observations
1300
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
650
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Essex Social Science Faculty Ethics Sub-Committee
IRB Approval Date
2015-03-18
IRB Approval Number
INEQUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTCOMES IN THE UK: SUBJECTIVE EXPECTATIONS, PREFERENCES, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION
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