Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Parental Engagement: The Parents and Children Together Intervention

Susan Mayer, Ariel Kalil, Philip Oreopoulos and Sebastian Gallegos

Journal of Human Resources, 2019, vol. 54, issue 4, 900-925

Abstract: Parental engagement plays a key role in children’s future success. We implemented a behaviorally informed field experiment designed to increase the time parents spend using a digital library on an electronic tablet to read to their children. Behavioral tools—reminders, goal setting, and social rewards—more than doubled the amount of time parents spent reading using the electronic application (one standard deviation effect size) after the six-week intervention. The largest gains were for the most present-oriented parents. Our findings suggest substantial promise for the application of behavioral tools to parenting activities that promote investment in children’s human capital.

JEL-codes: D80 D91 I28 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.54.4.0617.8835R
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (38)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:54:y:2019:i:4:p:900-925

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