Hope and Aspiration Adaptation: Evidence from Glasgow

Last registered on September 24, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Hope and Aspiration Adaptation: Evidence from Glasgow
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006520
Initial registration date
September 24, 2020

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
September 24, 2020, 9:03 AM EDT

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
Scotland

Primary Investigator

Name
Prateek Chandra Bhan
Affiliation
University of Glasgow
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Jinglin Wen
PI Affiliation
University of Glasgow
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Max Schroeder
PI Affiliation
University of Glasgow
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Damiano Turchet
PI Affiliation
University of Glasgow
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-10-02
End date
2022-09-28
Keywords
Behavior, Education
Additional Keywords
Role models, Hope, Aspirations
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Aiming at relaxing internal constraints, much research focuses on the effectiveness of changing aspirations. Yet little is known about how these aspirations change over time. This project studies aspiration adaptation and whether hope can function as a capability - fuelling and sustaining aspirations. We develop a theoretical framework to predict the process of aspiration formation and development, and offer insight into the role of hope in such process. By combining experimental evidence, this project attempts to shed light on the relationship between aspiration adaptation and hope. Focusing on a cohort of students in the University of Glasgow, a randomised controlled trial (RCT) is designed to provide support for the predictions arising from the theory and assess the effects on hope and aspirations by exposure to role-models.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bhan, Prateek Chandra et al. 2020. "Hope and Aspiration Adaptation: Evidence from Glasgow." AEA RCT Registry. September 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6520-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The study has two treatment and a placebo group:

Treatment group 1: A combination of videos from the internet on a set of role models + an additional set of videos on these and some other prominent role models highlights the role of hope in their lives.

Treatment group 2: A combination of videos from the internet on a set of role models

Placebo group: The students assigned in this group watch a set of videos compiled from the internet on Scotland and Glasgow.
The intervention will be conducted online using Zoom.
Intervention Start Date
2020-10-19
Intervention End Date
2020-10-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student hope and aspirations
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The indicators and instruments used for measuring the key outcome variables are explained in detail in the attached pre-analysis plan (PAP).

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Student effort
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Explained in detail in the attached PAP.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study entails randomisation at individual level, which is performed on Excel.
There are three treatment arms:
Treatment 1: watches a set of motivational videos + a set of videos on role-models
Treatment 2: watches a set of videos on role-models
Placebo: watches a set of videos on Scotland (and Glasgow)

Data is collected in four rounds from baseline to follow-up surveys, details to which are included in the pre-analysis plan.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Ransomisation is performed on Microsoft Excel.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600 students randomised individually
Sample size: planned number of observations
600 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 students in each treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Minimum detectable effect size = 1 point increase in hope scores and 0.5 sd increase in aspirations (two-tailed test at 5 % level of significance)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
College of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2020-09-23
IRB Approval Number
400190225
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-analysis Plan

MD5: 0d6c30bd6e870ba410203f4bc7d3eb88

SHA1: 9e437e59753d3fbcf7f70e9a8772f6a076066d14

Uploaded At: September 24, 2020

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