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Rapid Evaluation of the Impact of Gemini Guided Learning on Students’ Mathematics Scores in Junior Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone

Last registered on May 26, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Rapid Evaluation of the Impact of Gemini Guided Learning on Students’ Mathematics Scores in Junior Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016651
Initial registration date
September 18, 2025

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 19, 2025, 10:20 AM EDT

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

Last updated
May 26, 2026, 11:10 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Sierra Leone
Region
Africa

Primary Investigator

Name
Natalia Valdes Aspillaga
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
María José Ogando Portela
PI Affiliation
Fab Inc
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Usman Khawar
PI Affiliation
Fab Inc
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2025-09-22
End date
2026-03-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Artificial Intelligence, EdTech, AI Tutoring
JEL code(s)
I24
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates the impact of Gemini Guided Learning, an AI-powered instructional experience within Gemini that provides personalised learning through guided questions, step-by-step scaffolding, and multimodal resources rather than supplying direct answers, on mathematics learning in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS1 and JSS2, ages 13–15). The trial randomly assigns classrooms either to continue with regular teaching or to use Gemini in approximately half of their mathematics lessons over an eight to nine (8-9) week period. The same teachers are responsible for both treatment and control classrooms; all will receive training on how to use the tool, though it will only be applied in treatment classes. Mathematics performance of students and teachers will be assessed at the beginning and end of the intervention. Teachers’ experiences with the tool will also be documented. The study will provide rigorous evidence on whether AI-supported guided learning can strengthen mathematics learning in junior secondary education.
External Link(s)
Introduction of Gemini Guided Learning

Registration Citation

Citation
Khawar, Usman, María José Ogando Portela and Natalia Valdes Aspillaga. 2026. "Rapid Evaluation of the Impact of Gemini Guided Learning on Students’ Mathematics Scores in Junior Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone." AEA RCT Registry. May 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16651-2.1
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Gemini Guided Learning is an AI-powered instructional tool within Gemini, designed to support students’ mathematics learning through guided questions, step-by-step scaffolding, adaptive feedback, and multimodal resources rather than providing direct answers. The intervention will be implemented in Junior Secondary School classrooms (JSS1 and JSS2, ages 13–15) over an eight to nine (8-9) week period, during which students in treatment classrooms will use Gemini in about half of their mathematics lessons. Teachers will receive training on how to use the tool, although it will only be applied in treatment classrooms.
Intervention (Hidden)
The study is a classroom-level cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in 12 government-supported schools in Sierra Leone. Within each participating school, JSS1 and JSS2 classrooms are randomly assigned to treatment or control. In treatment classrooms, students work in pairs on tablets or computers with Gemini in approximately two out of four weekly mathematics lessons for eight weeks. Gemini provides instructional scaffolds, prompts, and multimodal resources to guide reasoning and problem-solving, aligned with the national JSS curriculum. Teachers of both treatment and control groups receive training on the use of Gemini to ensure familiarity, but the tool is applied only in treatment classrooms. Classroom fidelity is monitored by field staff, who will be present in schools daily to support teachers with lesson delivery, ensure tablets are charged, and provide assistance with any technical or usage issues.
Intervention Start Date
2025-10-06
Intervention End Date
2025-12-12

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome of interest is student mathematics achievement, measured using standardised assessments aligned with the JSS1 and JSS2 curriculum and administered at baseline and endline. Assessments are designed to capture gains in core mathematical competencies such as numeracy, problem-solving, and application of concepts.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study employs a cluster randomized controlled trial with classrooms as the unit of randomization. Randomization is stratified by school and grade level (JSS1 vs JSS2) using computer-generated random assignment with a pre-specified seed. This stratification approach ensures balanced allocation across key prognostic factors and prevents potential confounding between teacher effects and treatment effects.
Classrooms are randomly assigned to either: (1) Treatment arm receiving access to an AI-powered mathematics tutoring platform in addition to standard instruction, or (2) Control arm receiving standard mathematics instruction only.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Done in office by a computer using stata
Randomization Unit
Classroom
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
48 sections (16 JSS1, 32 JSS2) across 12 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 2,000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
24 control and 24 treated
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Using a two-level classroom-cluster design with α=0.05 (two-tailed), power=0.80, 48 clusters, average cluster size=30, 50/50 allocation, and a conditional ICC of 0.07, the MDES is 0.257 SD on the student-level standardised mathematics score
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Sierra Leone Ethics and Scientific Review Committee (SLESRC)
IRB Approval Date
2025-09-08
IRB Approval Number
007/09/2025
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

PAP SL Gemini Trial

MD5: 97a9ebc68c35e54da2432856861d0afd

SHA1: 8563e910caacd21467a2b4f0d7d0de7617f38111

Uploaded At: January 27, 2026

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
December 08, 2025, 12:00 AM +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
December 10, 2025, 12:00 AM +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
48 classes
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
1,423 Balance panel
1,637 Endline
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
24 control, 24 treatment
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials

Description
Results Tech Report
Citation
LearnLM Team, Google and Fab AI. 2026. “Teaching with Gemini: Measuring the Impact of Guided Learning on Student Mathematics Progress in Sierra Leone.” Technical Report. May 15.
URL
https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/LearnLM/learnLM_sierraleone_may26.pdf