Relación entre las calificaciones en la evaluación continua y en el examen final y diferencias de género

Abstract

We analyse if a small increase in a midterm exam grade (ie. grade slightly higher than 5 out of 10 compared with slighter smaller than 5) has an effect in the final exam grade of a course and if this effect is different depending on the student gender. Nudge theory predict that a better performance in midterm exams may increase self-confidence in student ability. But its effect on the final grade is unclear, since students can interpret positive news as a signal that additional study effort is unnecessary to pass the course. We combine administrative data on academic performance and survey data on students behaviour for first year undergraduate Economics and Business students in Mathematics courses in the University of Alicante. Regression Discontinuity techniques allow us to identify the potential causal effect of the positive information in the midterm on the final. We also use survey information to analyse if this nudge effect is heterogeneous. Our results are mixed. We obtain overall insignificant (or even negative) effects of information about midterm exam performance on final course achievement. Although the difference is not always significant, we also find that the nudge effect is higher for women.