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Trial End Date June 30, 2019 June 30, 2020
Last Published June 02, 2015 12:55 PM June 02, 2015 01:03 PM
Intervention (Public) Providing grant money ($12,500 total) and guidance to school to implement various intervention programs aimed at recruiting more women into the economics major. Each school will design their own intervention program, although some elements may be similar between schools. Interventions can be classified into one or more of the following three categories depending on the area that they target: - Better Information: Without accurate information about the broader application of economics (e.g., beyond finance and consulting), women are more likely to major in less rigorous fields, often within the social sciences or humanities, that seem to provide more application to the theory behind economics. - Mentoring and Role Models: Women are more sensitive to their grades in introductory courses when choosing their major than are men. The creation of networks among students within the department and showing support for their decision to major in the field has been effective in recruiting underrepresented minorities. - Content and Presentation Style: On average, female undergraduates are less confident about their quantitative skills than are men even if they are equally able and prepared. Their lack of confidence may diminish their belief that economics fits their personal strengths and abilities. Actual interventions can include, but are not limited to: - inviting to lecture alumni/guest speakers who work in diverse fields other than finance and consulting; - increasing the number of female TAs/graduate students/older undergraduate mentors; - helping students find summer jobs that value economics, are dynamic, and include human contact; - Having informal lunches with professors and TAs; - supporting independent/group projects in various sub-fields such as health, poverty, crime, inequality, sports, and others; - making sections more conductive to learning for students with different skill levels, styles of learning, and interests, and many more. Providing grant money ($12,500 total) and guidance to schools/departments to implement various intervention programs aimed at recruiting more women into the economics major. Each school/department will design their own intervention program, although some elements may be similar between schools/departments. Interventions can be classified into one or more of the following three categories depending on the area that they target: - Better Information: Without accurate information about the broader application of economics (e.g., beyond finance and consulting), women are more likely to major in less rigorous fields, often within the social sciences or humanities, that seem to provide more application to the theory behind economics. - Mentoring and Role Models: Women are more sensitive to their grades in introductory courses when choosing their major than are men. The creation of networks among students within the department and showing support for their decision to major in the field has been effective in recruiting underrepresented minorities. - Content and Presentation Style: On average, female undergraduates are less confident about their quantitative skills than are men even if they are equally able and prepared. Their lack of confidence may diminish their belief that economics fits their personal strengths and abilities. Actual interventions can include, but are not limited to: - inviting to lecture alumni/guest speakers who work in diverse fields other than finance and consulting; - increasing the number of female TAs/graduate students/older undergraduate mentors; - helping students find summer jobs that value economics, are dynamic, and include human contact; - Having informal lunches with professors and TAs; - supporting independent/group projects in various sub-fields such as health, poverty, crime, inequality, sports, and others; - making sections more conductive to learning for students with different skill levels, styles of learning, and interests, and many more.
Primary Outcomes (End Points) The key outcome variable is the undergraduate students’ major at the time of graduation. The study will also look at: - the number of students by gender with a minor in economics, - student enrollment by gender in principles economics course(s), - student enrollment by gender in intermediate theory economics course(s), - student enrollment by gender in upper level courses, even among students who do not ultimately major in economics. The key outcome variable is the undergraduate students’ major at the time of graduation. The study will also look at: - the number of students by gender with a minor or secondary in economics, - student enrollment by gender in principles economics course(s), - student enrollment by gender in intermediate theory economics course(s), - potentially, student enrollment by gender in upper level courses, even among students who do not ultimately major in economics.
Randomization Unit Treatment is randomized at school level. Treatment is randomized at school level within four selectivity groups of institutions.
Planned Number of Observations At least 57 schools/Economics departments. At least 55 schools/Economics departments.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms 20 treatment schools and at least 37 control schools (out of the schools that expressed an interest in the Challenge). Other schools can be added into the control group by using publicly available IPEDS data on majors. 20 treatment schools and at least 35 control schools (out of the schools that expressed an interest in the Challenge). Other schools can be added into the control group by using publicly available IPEDS data on majors.
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