Improving parent-teacher communication on student well-being

Last registered on January 02, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improving parent-teacher communication on student well-being
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012755
Initial registration date
December 26, 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
January 02, 2024, 10:56 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Tushar Kundu
Affiliation
Columbia University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-01-06
End date
2024-03-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
I25, I26, I31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
I study the potential of enhancing parent-teacher communication to improve the development of student well-being by focusing on a more holistic view of human capital. I aim to expand the traditional focus on cognitive skills, typically measured by standardized test scores, to include non-cognitive skills that are vital for students' social and emotional development. I study the hypothesis that discrepancies in the prioritization of these skills between parents and teachers may lead to inefficient allocation of teacher effort. Specifically, I propose an intervention where information on parent preferences regarding the relative importance of various human capital dimensions is systematically provided to teachers. Parents are surveyed to gauge their preferences across a comprehensive range of human capital aspects, which include cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities. Concurrently, teachers are surveyed to understand their perceptions and the degree to which they believe these align with the parents’ preferences. I estimate the impact on student outcomes, teacher beliefs, as well as parent satisfaction. This study will be carried out in elementary and middle school classrooms in India, characterized by high student-to-teacher ratios, where personal knowledge of students might be limited due to structural constraints. The expectation is that by informing teachers about student needs, proxied by parent preferences, this study could reveal a cost-effective method for nurturing holistic student development, with implications for educational systems looking to integrate non-cognitive skill growth alongside academic learning.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kundu, Tushar. 2024. "Improving parent-teacher communication on student well-being." AEA RCT Registry. January 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12755-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Within each grade-school pair (e.g., within 1st grade sections at a given school), class teachers will be randomly selected to be in the treatment or control, with equal probability. The intervention is an information treatment. Immediately after the baseline survey, I will provide treatment teachers information about their student capabilities and QOL collected from the parent survey. I have developed a web-portal through which the information will be accessed by teachers. I will provide teachers individual log-in information, through which they will have access to reports for students in their classroom, and no others.
Intervention Start Date
2024-01-15
Intervention End Date
2024-03-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student outcomes: grades, attendance, parents’ perceptions of student ability
Teacher outcomes: beliefs about parent preferences, own preferences
Parent outcomes: satisfaction with schooling, life satisfaction
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Grades and attendance are provided by schools. All other outcomes are collected in the parent or teacher surveys.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study will be done in conjunction with Delhi Public School Newtown (DPSN) and Maharashtra Institute of Technology Vishwashanti Gurukul Schools (MITVGS). Schools will administer surveys for teachers and parents of students from upper kindergarten (UKG) to 9th grade. Within each grade, students are grouped into sections, each of which is associated with a class teacher. Each section is approximately 40 students.

Within DPSN, there are an average of 10 sections in each grade, and each section contains approximately 40 students. Therefore, the total possible sample size for DPSN is 4000 students (40 students x 10 grades x 10 sections). MITVGS has 7 campuses, each of which contains an average 2 sections in each grade, and each section contains approximately of 30 students. Therefore, the total possible sample size for MITVGS is 4200 students (30 students x 10 grades x 2 sections x 7 schools).

The experimental design involves two waves of surveys for parents and teachers. The waves are separated by 2.5 months. Baseline surveys are scheduled to be take place during the week of January 15th, 2024 after students return from winter break. Endline surveys will take place 2.5 months later the week of March 18th, 2024, coinciding with the end of the Indian academic school year. The information treatment will be administered immediately after the baseline surveys conclude.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Treatment is clustered at the classroom (section) level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
240 classrooms
Sample size: planned number of observations
5000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
120 classrooms control, 120 classrooms treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Columbia University
IRB Approval Date
2023-12-19
IRB Approval Number
AAAU7722
Analysis Plan

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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