Information feedback in relative grading: Evidence from a field experiment

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Relative performance information feedback is known to influence agent incentives in controlled laboratory settings.
• Its impact in real-world educational environments, particularly under relative grading, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effect of relative performance information feedback on student examination scores within a compulsory university course.
• To determine if this feedback mechanism influences academic performance in an authentic educational context.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a Japanese university.
• Students in a compulsory subject were exposed to relative performance information feedback.

Main Results:

• Relative performance information feedback demonstrated a statistically significant positive impact on average student examination scores.
• Analysis revealed that the overall positive effect was predominantly due to enhanced performance among students who were initially low-performing.

Conclusions:

• Relative performance information feedback is an effective tool for improving student academic outcomes in higher education.
• Targeted interventions focusing on relative performance can be particularly beneficial for supporting and elevating the performance of underachieving students.