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Shying away from demanding tasks? Experimental evidence on gender differences in answering multiple-choice questions

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  • Riener, Gerhard
  • Wagner, Valentin

Abstract

Access to higher education is one important prerequisite for later employment possibilities. Often access is regulated inter alia by multiple-choice entrance exams. The application of this testing format is problematic if it favors the answering strategies of certain groups. We present the results of a field experiment in answering multiple-choice questions. Our sample consists of 2113 pupils from different school types. We find that girls skip more answers than boys only if the questions are difficult. This gender gap vanishes when extrinsic rewards are provided. This suggests that our findings are compatible with a stereotype threat explanation. Moreover, the gender gap is found only for pupils of school types preparing for the academic track. It is therefore important to consider all social strata in the design of testing formats.

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  • Riener, Gerhard & Wagner, Valentin, 2017. "Shying away from demanding tasks? Experimental evidence on gender differences in answering multiple-choice questions," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 43-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:59:y:2017:i:c:p:43-62
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.06.005
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    3. Anaya, Lina & Iriberri, Nagore & Rey-Biel, Pedro & Zamarro, Gema, 2022. "Understanding performance in test taking: The role of question difficulty order," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Riener, Gerhard & Wagner, Valentin, 2018. "Gender differences in willingness to compete and answering multiple-choice questions—The role of age," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 86-89.
    5. Jef Vanderoost & Rianne Janssen & Jan Eggermont & Riet Callens & Tinne De Laet, 2018. "Elimination testing with adapted scoring reduces guessing and anxiety in multiple-choice assessments, but does not increase grade average in comparison with negative marking," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, October.
    6. Tabea Bucher-Koenen & Rob Alessie & Annamaria Lusardi & Maarten van Rooij, 2021. "Fearless Woman. Financial Literacy and Stock Market Participation," Working Papers 708, DNB.
    7. Iriberri, Nagore & Rey-Biel, Pedro, 2021. "Brave boys and play-it-safe girls: Gender differences in willingness to guess in a large scale natural field experiment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    8. Montolio, Daniel & Taberner, Pere A., 2021. "Gender differences under test pressure and their impact on academic performance: A quasi-experimental design," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 1065-1090.
    9. Griselda, Silvia, 2024. "Gender gap in standardized tests: What are we measuring?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 191-229.
    10. Silvia Griselda, 2020. "Different Questions, Different Gender Gap: Can the Format of Questions Explain the Gender Gap in Mathematics?," 2020 Papers pgr710, Job Market Papers.
    11. Claire Duquennois, 2022. "Fictional Money, Real Costs: Impacts of Financial Salience on Disadvantaged Students," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(3), pages 798-826, March.
    12. Agrawal, Anjali & Green, Ellen P. & Lavergne, Lisa, 2019. "Gender effects in the credence goods market: An experimental study," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 195-199.
    13. Marta Peña & Noelia Olmedo-Torre & Elisabet Mas de les Valls & Amaia Lusa, 2021. "Introducing and Evaluating the Effective Inclusion of Gender Dimension in STEM Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-26, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Educational economics; Behavioral decision-making; Answering strategies; Gender differences; Field experiment; Multiple-choice test;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General

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