ERIC Number: ED672231
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb-14
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
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Available Date: 0000-00-00
Student Demand for Relative Performance Feedback: Evidence from a Field Experiment. EdWorkingPaper No. 23-735
Alessandro Castagnetti; Derek Rury
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
We administer a survey to study students' preferences for relative performance feedback in an introductory economics class. To do so, we elicit students' willingness to pay for/avoid learning their rank on a midterm exam. Our results show that 10% of students are willing to pay to avoid learning their rank. We also find that female students are willing to pay $1 more than male students. We also confirm that beliefs about academic performance do not predict preferences for information. After randomizing access to information about rank, students report needing more study hours to achieve their desired grade and being less likely in the top half of the ability distribution in the class. These effects are driven by stronger effects from people who overestimated their midterm rank compared to those who underestimated their performance. We do not find an overall effect of learning about rank performance on final course grade. We also confirm that students' preferences for feedback do not interfere with their belief updating.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Preferences, Feedback (Response), Economics Education, Gender Differences, Academic Achievement, Predictor Variables, Grades (Scholastic), Tests, Scores, Economic Factors, College Students
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: California
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Author Affiliations: N/A