Student Advising and Gender Differences in University Decisions

Last registered on November 30, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Student Advising and Gender Differences in University Decisions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006834
Initial registration date
November 29, 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
November 30, 2020, 11:32 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Canada
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Heather Sarsons
Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-11-09
End date
2020-12-18
Keywords
Education, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
There remain large differences in what men and women choose to study in university. These differences in major choice are often attributed to preferences and can explain part of the gender wage gap. This study tests whether the advice one receives perpetuates existing gender differences in academic preferences. The study consists of two parts. In the first part, teachers and counsellors are recruited to provide students with advice about university. In the second part of the study, I survey students before and after they see their own guidance counsellor to document what type of information they receive and whether their preferences change.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Sarsons, Heather. 2020. "Student Advising and Gender Differences in University Decisions." AEA RCT Registry. November 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6834-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-11-16
Intervention End Date
2020-12-11

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Advisors will provide three program recommendations, suggestions about major within their program recommendations, and can also give a free-form response. I will test for differences in each of these outcomes.

I will also ask students to list their interests and the programs they are interested in applying for.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
- the fraction of a program's graduates who are female
- whether the counsellor requested more information to help advise the student (and what information they asked for)
- counsellor's reasons for giving the recommendations s/he gave
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Advisors will be shown a series of four student profiles (randomly chosen from a set of ~40-50). They will be asked to record the advice they give to the student.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
computer
Randomization Unit
individual profile
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
350 advisors
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
125 in each 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 Chicago
IRB Approval Date
2020-11-10
IRB Approval Number
IRB20-1723
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