Aspire to Innovate Digital Lab Access in Bangladesh: Evidence from an At-Scale Randomized Field Experiment

Last registered on November 09, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Aspire to Innovate Digital Lab Access in Bangladesh: Evidence from an At-Scale Randomized Field Experiment
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.

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Christine Ho
Affiliation
Singapore Management University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Tomoki Fujii
PI Affiliation
Singapore Management University
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PI Name
Abu Shonchoy
PI Affiliation
Florida International University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-01-15
End date
2023-10-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Extended school closures of 1.5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a learning crisis due to lack of access to digital learning resources in Bangladesh. This study aims to incentivize school-centric EdTech utilization and improve learning through a randomized control trial (RCT). The RCT would entail providing pedagogical and ICT training to teachers, offline digital educational content to students, and school curricula integration in randomly selected secondary schools. We hypothesize that blended education through school-based EdTech that leverages the existing ICT infrastructure in schools, offers the most practical, equitable, and cost-effective way to substantially and sustainably increase EdTech outreach to all, particularly in reducing the current learning crisis.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fujii, Tomoki, Christine Ho and Abu Shonchoy. 2022. "Aspire to Innovate Digital Lab Access in Bangladesh: Evidence from an At-Scale Randomized Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. November 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10383-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-03-01
Intervention End Date
2023-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Frequency of lab utilization/access to study materials captured through lab sign-up sheets, surveys, and computer logs.
Test scores for mathematics and English.
Student and teacher school attendance.
Household human capital response such as household expenditure on education.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Extended school closures of 1.5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a learning crisis due to lack of access to digital learning resources in Bangladesh. This study aims to incentivize school-centric EdTech utilization and improve learning through a randomized control trial (RCT). The RCT would entail providing pedagogical and ICT training to teachers, offline digital educational content to students, and school curricula integration in randomly selected secondary schools. We hypothesize that blended education through school-based EdTech that leverages the existing ICT infrastructure in schools, offers the most practical, equitable, and cost-effective way to substantially and sustainably increase EdTech outreach to all, particularly in reducing the current learning crisis.
Experimental Design Details
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
510 schools.
Sample size: planned number of observations
510 headmasters, 2250 teachers, 3060 students and parents.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
170 schools control, 170 schools with teacher training and offline digital learning resources, 170 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

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials