Pursuing Sweeter Lemons for Lemonade: Strengthening Social Interventions Through Exploratory Analyses in Field Experiments

• In Event: 32.084 - Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: 32.084-3 - Learning and Teaching in Social and Cultural Contexts: Methodological Insights

Abstract

Most interventions fail. Even when encouraging findings emerge, the effects of interventions frequently fade during replication attempts (Schooler, 2014). Thus, when an experimental manipulation – particularly one delivered in a real world setting through a field experiment – shows hints of promise, it is worth noting and thinking about how its effects might be improved. This study attempted to replicate a field experiment that improved teacher-student relationships and student achievement through a similarity intervention. We report the results, and discuss how researchers can conduct exploratory analyses to work towards strengthening an intervention.

Authors

• Carly Dolan Robinson, Harvard University

• Whitney Scott, California State University - Northridge

• Joe McIntyre, Harvard University

• Hunter Gehlbach, University of California - Santa Barbara