Does edTech use improve numeracy and literacy skills and mental well-being for children with functional difficulties? Evidence from Kenya

Last registered on September 15, 2023

Pre-Trial

General Information

Title

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0012044

Initial registration date

September 06, 2023

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

September 15, 2023, 8:44 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Frank Odhiambo

Affiliation

ETH Zurich

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Isabel Gunther

PI Affiliation

ETh Zurich

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Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2023-06-22

End date

2025-06-30

Keywords

Behavior, Education, Welfare

Additional Keywords

edTech

JEL code(s)

I24; I31

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

In many parts of the world, children with disabilities are excluded from education. The disability gap in education is notably larger in low-income settings, such as in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. We conduct a field experiment to investigate the effect of an education technology (edtech) intervention on the learning outcomes, social inclusion, and mental well-being of children with special needs in low-income settings. The study is implemented in western Kenya, where disability prevalence is one of the highest. Children with special needs of primary school-going age are recruited through a government assessment and screening program within sampled schools. After randomization at the school level, we administer a baseline survey to positively screened children and their caregivers after which we offer participants in the intervention group a low-cost mobile device equipped with offline-enabled numeracy and literacy learning software. Their math, literacy, social inclusion, and mental well-being outcomes will be compared to a control group that does not receive this intervention after one year.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Gunther, Isabel and Frank Odhiambo. 2023. "Does edTech use improve numeracy and literacy skills and mental well-being for children with functional difficulties? Evidence from Kenya." AEA RCT Registry. September 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12044-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Study participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: a treatment group, in which participants receive a learning app installed on a mobile device, and a control group where participants do not receive a learning app or a mobile device. A low-cost mobile device, about 80 US dollars, is chosen in order to mimic what would typically be available on the market for a low-income household and to provide a strong test case for a sustainable but scalable product.

Intervention Start Date

2023-07-10

Intervention End Date

2024-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Survey administered literacy and numeracy scores, national assessment test scores,

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Social inclusion, mental well-being index

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Social inclusion will be measured by how often children from other households visit the study child, how often they visit children from other households, and how much time spent with people both within and outside the household. Mental well-being will be measured using the Stirling Children's Wellbeing Scale, which has been used for children, even though in other contexts.

Experimental Design

Cluster randomized control trial

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization done by a computer using a Stata do file.

Randomization Unit

School

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

60 schools

Sample size: planned number of observations

600 pupils

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

300 treatment group children and 300 control group children

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

ETH Zurich Ethics Commission

IRB Approval Date

2023-03-15

IRB Approval Number

EK 2023-N-11

IRB Name

Strathmore University Institutional Ethics Review Committee

IRB Approval Date

2023-02-27

IRB Approval Number

SU-ISERC1564/23

Analysis Plan