The nudge intervention raised reenrollment by 10 percentage points among STEM-pathway students but had no significant effect on non-STEM students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? STEM students who received nudges reenrolled at a rate 10 percentage points higher than the STEM control rate of 58%, closing the retention gap with non-STEM students. → Ross E. O'Hara 2019 q3 i? No treatment impact was found for students not enrolled in STEM pathways (treatment effect −0.017, not significant). → Ross E. O'Hara 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Ross E. O'Hara 2019¶

Ross E. O'Hara, Betsy Sparrow. (2019). A Summer Nudge Campaign to Motivate Community College STEM Students to Reenroll. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419875715

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Subgroup analysis of the randomized controlled trial (STEM pathway N = 1,971): linear probability treatment effect 0.106** (OR 1.59), control mean 0.585. The authors note STEM nudged students reenrolled "at nearly the same rate as non-STEM students, closing the observed retention gap based on program of study."

"we found significant effects of the intervention on retention among students participating in STEM, with those who received nudges reenrolling at a rate 10 percentage points higher than the control group rate of 58%."

Ross E. O'Hara 2019 (2)¶

Ross E. O'Hara, Betsy Sparrow. (2019). A Summer Nudge Campaign to Motivate Community College STEM Students to Reenroll. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419875715

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Subgroup analysis of the same RCT (non-STEM N = 820): treatment effect −0.017 (OR 0.923), control mean 0.712, not statistically significant; equivalence was not tested.

"In fact, STEM students who received nudges reenrolled at nearly the same rate as non-STEM students, closing the observed retention gap based on program of study. No treatment impact was found for stu- dents who were not enrolled in STEM pathways."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Treatment-effect heterogeneity by engagement: first-day unsubscribers reenrolled 26 percentage points below control, while full-treatment students benefited whether or not they responded — related
• The nudge intervention raised reenrollment by 10 percentage points among summer-enrolled students but not significantly among students not enrolled in summer courses — related
• A 7-week summer text-message nudge campaign increased fall reenrollment among first-year community college students by 7 percentage points relative to control — a broader claim this one bears on
• Summer-enrolled treatment students engaged more with the nudges than non-summer-enrolled students, while STEM and non-STEM students engaged similarly — related