IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/labeco/v90y2024ics0927537124000976.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can leagues mitigate the demoralization effect of rank feedback? A randomized controlled trial

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, J.
  • Dobrescu, L.I.
  • Foster, G.
  • Motta, A.

Abstract

In a randomized controlled trial involving hundreds of university students, we provide relative performance feedback specifically designed to reduce low performers’ demoralization, by dynamically assigning students to small leaderboard groups that share a similar score in a semester-long online assignment. Treated students appear 2.6% more likely to go beyond the call-of-duty on their assignment by mid-semester. For low performers, this translates in 0.27 SDs higher exam grades, more stress, increased effort and lower procrastination. High performers are happier, procrastinate less and overachieve in the assignment on which they are ranked, but ultimately also score 0.25 SDs lower exam grades.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, J. & Dobrescu, L.I. & Foster, G. & Motta, A., 2024. "Can leagues mitigate the demoralization effect of rank feedback? A randomized controlled trial," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:90:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124000976
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102602
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537124000976
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102602?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Relative performance information; Milestones; Higher education; Randomized controlled trial;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:90:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124000976. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/labeco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.