Do crib sheets improve student performance on tests? Evidence from principles of economics

Abstract

This study uses individual-level data to examine whether the use of a crib sheet can boost the test performance of students in principles of economics. We find that crib sheets have the potential to significantly improve student performance, an outcome that is largely attributable to performance in principles of macroeconomics. Based on our findings, there is no clear indication that cooperative crib sheets, as implemented in this experiment, are more effective than individual crib sheets. In fact, we find that the collaborative process may hinder performance. We find that female students do worse on tests generally and that students with a higher academic classification and more academic talent tend to do better. However, we don’t find that crib sheets heterogeneously impact performance within these groups.