A Blessing in Disguise? The Influence of Symbolic Awards on Online Learning

Abstract

Symbolic awards are widely used in education, yet empirical evidence supporting their direct impact on learning, both before and post-award provision, remains limited. In this study, we conducted a field experiment within an online course to estimate the effect of symbolic awards on student effort and academic performance. We strategically implemented the random provision of awards at both the class and individual levels. We find that symbolic awards stimulate greater effort among students in treated classes, especially among those students who are not recipients. Our results highlight the potential of symbolic awards as a cost-effective strategy to incentivize learning efforts.

Keywords: Symbolic award, Motivation, Recognition