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Engaging academic staff in the quality assurance system in higher education: A field experiment

Author

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  • Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A.
  • Morales, Antonio J.
  • Rodero Cosano, Javier

Abstract

A randomised field experiment was conducted at the University of Malaga in 2017 to examine personalised norm-based messages’ effects on response rates to the annual faculty satisfaction survey. This research had a factorial design that combined formal versus informal writing styles with four norm-based messages: no norm, moral suasion, moral duty and social norm. The results reveal that two treatments – informal-moral duty and informal-social norm – both had the strongest positive effect. The university's quality assurance unit applied the informal-moral duty approach the following academic year, thereby increasing the overall response rate to the annual faculty satisfaction survey by 20% over the pre-intervention year.

Suggested Citation

  • Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A. & Morales, Antonio J. & Rodero Cosano, Javier, 2022. "Engaging academic staff in the quality assurance system in higher education: A field experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:100:y:2022:i:c:s2214804322000957
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2022.101923
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Field experiment; Behavioural intervention; Quality assurance programme; Faculty satisfaction survey; Higher education; Personalised message; Nudging; Norm-based; Moral suasion; Moral duty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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