Behavioral Interventions and Students' Success at University - Evidence from Randomized Field Experiments

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die Forschung die verschiedenartigen individuellen und sozialen Erträge der Hochschulbildung dokumentiert. Die Realisierung dieser Erträge wird jedoch in vielen Ländern durch hohe Abbruchquoten und lange Studiendauern beeinträchtigt. Bei der Untersuchung der Ursachen für fehlenden Studienerfolg verweist die neuere Literatur auf die entscheidende Rolle von sogenannten ``behavioral biases‘‘ und den daraus resultierenden Bedarf an Maßnahmen, die diese ausgleichen. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht diese Dissertation die Wirksamkeit mehrerer kostengünstiger und einfach durchzuführender Maßnahmen zur Steigerung des Studienerfolgs und leistet damit einen Beitrag zu der noch jungen, aber wachsenden Forschung über verhaltensökonomisch motivierte Interventionen im Hochschulbereich. Unter Verwendung von randomisierten Feldexperimenten zur kausalen Evaluation untersuchen die vier zentralen Kapitel dieser Dissertation, i) ob soziale Informationen über das frühere Verhalten anderer die Teilnahme an einem Mathe Vorkurs erhöhen können und ob eine erhöhte Kursteilnahme zu besseren akademischen Leistungen im ersten Studienjahr führt (Kapitel 2), ii) ob relatives Leistungsfeedback bezüglich der akkumulierten Leistungspunkte den kurz- und langfristigen akademischen Erfolg erhöhen kann (Kapitel 3 und 4), und iii) ob eine unverbindliche Selbstverpflichtung, gemäß der empfohlenen Studienstruktur zu studieren, und Erinnerungsschreiben in der Lage sind, den Studienerfolg von Studierenden zu fördern (Kapitel 5). Insgesamt liefert diese Dissertation ein breites Spektrum an Belegen für die Vielseitigkeit und das Potenzial verhaltensökonomischer Maßnahmen. Sie können die akademischen Leistungen direkt oder indirekt verbessern, entscheidungsrelevante Informationen liefern, die den Studierenden häufig nicht zur Verfügung stehen, oder sie können spezifischen Abweichungen vom rationalen Verhaltensmodell -- wie Prokrastination und eingeschränkte Aufmerksamkeit -- entgegenwirken. Hervorzuheben ist, dass die Kapitel 4 und 5 einige der ersten Belege dafür liefern, dass verhaltensökonomisch motivierte Maßnahmen auch langfristig erhebliche positive Auswirkungen auf den Studienerfolg haben können. Die Kapitel der Dissertation zeichnen jedoch auch ein differenziertes Bild und zeigen, dass Effekte häufig heterogen sind. In vielen Situationen kann daher eine zielgerichtete Umsetzung der vorgeschlagenen Maßnahmen erforderlich sein, um ungewollte Auswirkungen zu verhindern. Gleichzeitig werden aber auch Beispiele gegeben, wie ökonometrische Methoden eingesetzt werden können, um die Nutznießer einer Intervention genauer zu identifizieren.Research over the past decades has documented the various individual and social returns to tertiary education. In many countries, however, the realization of those returns is jeopardized by high dropout rates and delayed graduation. Investigating the underlying reasons for the lack of academic success, the recent literature points to the critical role of behavioral biases and the resulting need for interventions that address them. Against this background, this thesis investigates the effectiveness of several low-cost and easy-to-implement measures that aim to increase students’ success at university, thereby contributing to the young but growing body of research on behaviorally informed interventions in higher education. Using randomized field experiments for causal evaluation, the four main chapters of this thesis study i) whether social information about the past behavior of others can raise remedial math course participation and if increased course attendance translates into higher academic performance in the first year of studies (Chapter 2), ii) whether relative performance feedback on accumulated course credits can increase short- and long-term academic achievement (Chapters 3 and 4), and iii) whether a non-binding commitment to study according to the recommended study structure and reminder letters are able to help students succeed in university (Chapter 5). Taken together, this thesis provides a broad range of evidence for the versatility and potential of behaviorally informed measures. They can improve academic performance directly or indirectly, provide decision-relevant information that is frequently not available to students, or be used to address specific biases -- such as procrastination and limited attention. Crucially, Chapters 4 and 5 provide some of the first evidence that behavioral interventions can have substantial positive effects on long-term academic success. Yet, the chapters of this thesis also paint a nuanced picture and show that effects are often heterogeneous. In many situations, a targeted implementation of the proposed measures may therefore be necessary to prevent unwanted effects. At the same time, examples of how econometric methods can be used to identify the beneficiaries of an intervention more precisely are provided.2022-01-2

Weiterbildung, Arbeitszeit und Lohneinkommen

This paper analyzes the determinants, work-time and income effects of continuous vocational training in West-Germany on the basis of a 70% sample of the German Microcensus 1991 - a representative 1% cross-section sampIe of all German households. Several hypotheses about the influence of qualification, demographic effects, unionization and technological progress are explicitly tested combining additional data sources, notably the Mannheim Innovation Panel, 1993. The econometric analysis refers to West-German, male employees with a professional experience between 0 and 30 years. We find the probability of further training to be positively related to the level of schooling as weIl as vocational qualification - though less significantly. Technical progress, unionization and the aging of the population excert a positive influence on the probability of individual further training. Further training leads to considerable income effects, which range from 0% to 12% depending on the type and duration of further training undertaken. They are greater for shorter further training activities. Employees participating in further training also work longer. The work-time effects amount up to 9% according to the type and duration of training undertaken. Therefore income and wage effects differ from each other. Surprisingly far employees with a university or a technical college degree income effects are much lower. --

Identification of a Cross-reactive Epitope Widely Present in Lipopolysaccharide from Enterobacteria and Recognized by the Cross-protective Monoclonal Antibody WN1 222-5

Septic shock due to infections with Gram-negative bacteria is a severe disease with a high mortality rate. We report the identification of the antigenic determinants of an epitope that is present in enterobacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and recognized by a cross-reactive monoclonal antibody (mAb WN1 222-5) regarded as a potential means of treatment. Using whole LPS and a panel of neoglycoconjugates containing purified LPS oligosaccharides obtained from Escherichia coli core types R1, R2, R3, and R4, Salmonella enterica, and the mutant strain E. coli J-5, we showed that mAb WN1 222-5 binds to the distal part of the inner core region and recognizes the structural element R1-alpha-d-Glcp-(1-->3)-[l-alpha-d-Hepp-(1-->7)]-l-alpha-d-Hepp 4P-(1-->3)-R2 (where R1 represents additional sugars of the outer core and R2 represents additional sugars of the inner core), which is common to LPS from all E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella. WN1 222-5 binds poorly to molecules that lack the side chain heptose or lack phosphate at the branched heptose. Also molecules that are substituted with GlcpN at the side chain heptose are poorly bound. Thus, the side chain heptose and the 4-phosphate on the branched heptose are main determinants of the epitope. We have determined the binding kinetics and affinities (KD values) of the monovalent interaction of E. coli core oligosaccharides with WN1 222-5 by surface plasmon resonance and isothermal titration microcalorimetry. Affinity constants (KD values) determined by SPR were in the range of 3.6 x 10-5 to 3.2 x 10-8 m, with the highest affinity being observed for the core oligosaccharide from E. coli F576 (R2 core type) and the lowest KD values for those from E. coli J-5. Affinities of E. coli R1, R3, and R4 oligosaccharides were 5-10-fold lower, and values from the E. coli J-5 mutant were 29-fold lower than the R2 core oligosaccharide. Thus, the outer core sugars had a positive effect on binding

The Transformation of Urban Space in Post-Soviet Russia

In the years since 1989, the societies of Russia and Eastern Europe have undergone a remarkable transformation from socialism to democracy and free market capitalism. Making an important contribution to the theoretical literature of urbanism and post-communist transition, this significant book considers the change in the spatial structure of post-Soviet urban spaces since the period of transition began. It argues that the era of transformation can be considered as largely complete, and that this has given way to a new stage of development as part of the global urban and economic system: post-transformation. The authors examine the modern trends in the urban development of western and post-socialist countries, and explore the theories of the transformation and post-transformation of urban space. Providing a wealth of detailed qualitative research on the Russian city of St. Petersburg, the study examines the changing structure of its retail trade and services sector. Overall, this book is an important step forward in the study of the spatial dynamics of urban transformation in the former communist world

Design optimisation of air-fed full pressurised suits

This article is a post-print version of the published article which may be accessed at the link below.The JET machine and associated facilities require significant maintenance and enhancement installation activities in support of the experimental exploitation programme. A proportion of these activities are within radiological and respiratory hazardous environments. As such, breathing air-fed one-piece pressurised suits provide workers with protection from the inhalation of both airborne tritium and beryllium dust. The design of these suits has essentially developed empirically. There is a practical necessity to improve the design to optimise worker performance, protection and thermal comfort. This paper details the complexity of modeling the three-dimensional thermofluid domain between the inner surface of the suit and under garments that includes mass as well as heat transfer, suiting geometry, human metabolism and respiration and effects of limb movements. The methods used include computational fluid dynamics (CFD), theoretical adaptations of mixed-phase turbulent flow, profile scanning of a suit and actuating life size mannequin and data processing of the images and experimental validation trials. The achievements of the current programme and collaborations are presented in the paper and future endeavors are discussed.The author gratefully acknowledges the loan of the articulated mannequin from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories. This work was funded jointly by EPSRC and by the European Communities under the contract of Association between EURATOM and UKAEA. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. This work was carried out within the framework of EFDA