31/03/2026 - 12:45 - Doyen 22

Sandy Tubeuf

(UCLouvain, IRSS /IDAM, IRES)

will give a presentation on 

Recognition and discouragement: asymmetric effects of success and failure on academic performance

Abstract

We study how brief motivational shocks administered during a break in a mathematics test affect student performance. In a cluster randomized controlled trial involving 296 schools and approximately 7,400 Grade 8 students in rural Bangladesh, students were randomly assigned to one of four arms: (i) a recreational break (control), (ii) completing a maze puzzle before the break, (iii) maze completion followed by public disclosure of success after the break, and (iv) maze completion followed by public disclosure and a symbolic reward. We find that maze completion significantly increases post-break mathematics performance among students who solve the maze correctly, but reduces performance among those who fail. Public announcements amplify both effects: recognition boosts high performers while further discouraging low performers. Introducing a symbolic reward raises performance among successful students relative to the control group, though less than simple public recognition, and intensifies negative effects for unsuccessful students. These findings highlight how seemingly benign micro-interventions can magnify achievement gaps during high-stakes tasks.

(with Niaz Asadullah, Alain Trannoy, Gaston Yalonetzky)

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