Access or Mandate? A Field Experiment on Digital Learning Resources in Schools across Bangladesh

Last registered on November 12, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Access or Mandate? A Field Experiment on Digital Learning Resources in Schools across Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010383
Initial registration date
November 09, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 09, 2022, 4:54 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
November 12, 2024, 5:15 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Christine Ho
Affiliation
Singapore Management University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Tomoki Fujii
PI Affiliation
Singapore Management University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Abu Shonchoy
PI Affiliation
Florida International University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-03-01
End date
2025-08-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Video-assisted learning, EdTech-based lessons, policy mandate, scalability
JEL code(s)
H52, H75, I21, I28, O15, O33
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
School-based educational technology (EdTech) has the potential to enhance student learning. However, there is limited evidence on how low-cost EdTech can promote learning in economically marginalized settings with inadequate internet penetration, growing digital divide, and varying teacher competencies. Collaborating with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), we conduct an at-scale randomized field experiment to evaluate the impact of mobilizing under-utilized in-school ICT infrastructure to facilitate digital learning through two channels: providing better ``access'' to video-assisted learning (VAL) resources and ``mandating'' EdTech-based lessons. 466 nationwide secondary schools with existing functional digital classrooms were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) packaged intervention consisting of offline educational videos and teacher training (Access treatment), 2) Access treatment plus GoB mandating weekly EdTech-based lessons in English and Mathematics (Mandate treatment), and status-quo (control). We aim to examine the effectiveness of providing access to VAL resources and mandating EdTech-based lessons on digital class utilization and student learning.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fujii, Tomoki, Christine Ho and Abu Shonchoy. 2024. "Access or Mandate? A Field Experiment on Digital Learning Resources in Schools across Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. November 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10383-2.0
Sponsors & Partners

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-10-01
Intervention End Date
2025-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Test scores for English and Mathematics.
Take up of EdTech-based subject lessons.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
School-based educational technology (EdTech) has the potential to enhance student learning. However, there is limited evidence on how low-cost EdTech can promote learning in economically marginalized settings with inadequate internet penetration, growing digital divide, and varying teacher competencies. Collaborating with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), we conduct an at-scale randomized field experiment to evaluate the impact of mobilizing under-utilized in-school ICT infrastructure to facilitate digital learning through two channels: providing better ``access'' to video-assisted learning (VAL) resources and ``mandating'' EdTech-based lessons. 466 nationwide secondary schools with existing functional digital classrooms were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) packaged intervention consisting of offline educational videos and teacher training (Access treatment), 2) Access treatment plus GoB mandating weekly EdTech-based lessons in English and Mathematics (Mandate treatment), and status-quo (control). We aim to examine the effectiveness of providing access to VAL resources and mandating EdTech-based lessons on digital class utilization and student learning.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Schools.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
466 schools.
Sample size: planned number of observations
466 headmasters, 1,398 teachers, 14,000 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
156 schools control, 155 schools with teacher training and offline digital learning resources, 155 schools with teacher training and offline digital learning resources and school curricula integration.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
SMU Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2022-11-03
IRB Approval Number
IRB-22-155-A086(1122)
Analysis Plan

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information