Increasing Pupil Motivation loss-framed incentive schemes (financial and event)

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

Two incentive schemes for Year 11 pupils in deprived English secondary schools, designed by the University of Bristol project team. The financial scheme gave pupils £80 per half-term, deducted at fixed rates for missing thresholds in attendance, behaviour, classwork and homework; the event scheme used tickets lost in the same ratio, with pupils attending a pupil-chosen event if enough tickets were retained. Both were "Framed to pupils as money was 'theirs to lose'", incorporating loss aversion, and were paired with feedback letters detailing performance each half-term.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Effort must be monitored by schools across the four domains of attendance, behaviour, classwork and homework
• Feedback letters to pupils detailing performance and how it determined rewards

Constraints

• The design does not allow the effects of incentives and feedback to be estimated separately
• The design does not allow a direct test of whether loss-framed rewards are more effective
• The trial tested one particular level of incentives; effects of higher or lower levels would need further evidence

Target Learners

• Year 11 pupils (aged 15-16) in relatively deprived secondary schools

Learning Goals

• GCSE attainment in Maths, English and Science
• Pupil effort in attendance, behaviour, classwork and homework

Claims

• Financial Effort Incentives No Gcse Attainment Impact [+M]
• Event Incentives Low Prior Attainment Maths Gain [+M]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Luke Sibieta, Ellen Greaves, Barbara Sianesi. (2014). Increasing Pupil Motivation: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	increasing-pupil-motivation-incentive-schemes
title	Increasing Pupil Motivation loss-framed incentive schemes (financial and event)
description	Two incentive schemes for Year 11 pupils in deprived English secondary schools, designed by the University of Bristol project team.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-02
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — luke-sibieta-2014

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