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Pricing the Production of Mathematics Skill in Secondary Schools: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania

Last registered on October 02, 2018

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Pricing the Production of Mathematics Skill in Secondary Schools: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001072
Initial registration date
February 21, 2016

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
February 21, 2016, 4:18 PM EST

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

Last updated
October 02, 2018, 5:22 PM EDT

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

Locations

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
The University of Chicago

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
The University of Chicago

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-02-21
End date
2019-09-30
Secondary IDs
IGC40308
Abstract
This research implements a randomized-controlled trial in 170 secondary schools in northern Tanzania. The research cross-randomizes the provision of math textbooks, educational videos, and scholarship programs.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Greenstone, Michael and Hee Kwon Seo. 2018. "Pricing the Production of Mathematics Skill in Secondary Schools: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania." AEA RCT Registry. October 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1072-8.0
Former Citation
Greenstone, Michael and Hee Kwon Seo. 2018. "Pricing the Production of Mathematics Skill in Secondary Schools: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania." AEA RCT Registry. October 02. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1072/history/35087
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The research provides 2 solar systems to each school in a randomized, staggered roll-out fashion. It also randomly provides math textbooks, educational videos, and performance-based scholarship programs.
Intervention Start Date
2016-02-21
Intervention End Date
2018-11-14

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- Grades 9-11 achievement on curriculum-based mathematics test administered by the research partnership
- Self-reported hours of study and other surveyed measures of effort (see attached survey and interim report for details)
- 9th and 11th grade national examination scores
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
- see attached surveys and interim report for details

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Across three years, in the beginning of each year, Group 1 (``Subsidy'') students receive contracts of approximately $0.50 per mark on an end-of-the-year curriculum-based mathematics test. Group 2 (``Study Aids'') receive solar-energy support, innovative bilingual mathematics textbooks and videos. Group 3 (``Both'') receive both Subsidy and Study Aids. Group 4 serve as control.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization of solar panels follow that of a related study "Electrifying Eduation." Randomization of the scholarship indicator is done via stata, where by district and solar status "bands" of 2014 national examination pass rates are created, and within each band a school is either randomly selected to receive scholarships or no scholarship. Within the schools that receive scholarships, individuals are counted off in alphabetical order in fours to receive four different levels of scholarships.
Randomization Unit
Math scholarships vary at the individual student level. All other treatments vary at the school level. Please see above. Verifiable codes will be provided.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
172 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
8000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1 | 45 Both learning materials (textbooks + vidoes + solar) and scholarships
2 | 44 Learning materials only
3 | 42 Scholarships only
4 | 41 Control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
A1. Experimental Setup Experiment Treated Control N P Remarks #1 1000 1000 2000 1/2 All schools (electricity vs. no electricity) #2 45 44 89 1/2 Both vs. Learning Materials Only #3 42 41 83 1/2 Scholarship Only vs. Controls MDEs: Experiments #1 #2 #3 σ N 1000 89 83 - P 1/2 1/2 1/2 - θ_{MDE} 0.177 0.2077727 0.215153566 1 all school sizes GPA_{raw} 0.106 0.124569146 0.128994309 0.600 GPA_{wgt} 0.112 0.1308695 0.135518475 0.630 Pass%_{raw} 0.036 0.042066721 0.043561088 0.202 Pass%_{wgt} 0.034 0.040043742 0.041466246 0.193 Rank_{raw} 225 264.3566863 273.7476274 1272 Rank_{wgt} 224 262.9951518 272.3377261 1266
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology
IRB Approval Date
2016-09-13
IRB Approval Number
2016-216-NA-2015-211
IRB Name
Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology
IRB Approval Date
2015-09-17
IRB Approval Number
2015-158-ER-2015-211
IRB Name
National Institute for Medical Research
IRB Approval Date
2015-10-07
IRB Approval Number
NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol.IX/2019
IRB Name
SBS IRB
IRB Approval Date
2015-08-07
IRB Approval Number
IRB15-1017
Analysis Plan

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