J.D. Tena

Does Relative Performance Feedback Improve Academic Outcomes? Evidence from a Randomised Controlled Trial in a Spanish University

Cristian Macías Domínguez, Rosa Santero Sánchez, Ismael Sanz Labrador, J.D. Tena. June 2026

Topics: Student Learning

Tags: Assessment, Higher education, Motivation

The effects of relative performance feedback on student achievement remain contested in the economics of education literature. Some studies find that providing students with information about their standing relative to peers improves academic outcomes, while others show negative effects driven… more →
Download 06/2026
Do 2 weeks of instruction time matter? Using a natural experiment to estimate the effect of a calendar change on students' performance

Ismael Sanz Labrador, J.D. Tena. August 2021

Topics: Policy, Politics, and Governance

Tags: Instructional design

One of the most obvious and not sufficiently well understood political decisions in education regards the optimal amount of instruction time required to improve academic performance. This paper considers an unexpected, exogenous regulatory change that reduced the school calendar of non-fee-… more →
Download 08/2021