Leveling the Playing Field: Can Tech Tools Boost Achievement on Burkina Faso's Primary School Exam?

This study evaluates technology-enabled pedagogical interventions designed to improve learning outcomes. Primary schools will be randomly assigned to one of four groups:

- Treatment Arm 1: Enhanced Tablet-Based Learning (n≈40 schools)
Fifth and sixth-grade (CM1 and CM2) students and teachers receive Android tablets loaded with CEP-aligned digital learning materials. Content includes exam preparation activities, structured review sessions, practice exercises, and subject-specific resources covering the national curriculum. Materials build upon existing government-developed content with additional CEP-focused preparation modules. Teachers receive training on tablet integration into regular instruction. CEP preparation activities are conducted weekly for several hours during the school term.
This treatment will provide a standardized curriculum, not fully dependent on teacher’s ability. Also, CEP-focused materials familiarize students with question formats, difficulty levels, and competencies expected at the end of primary school. The curriculum will also include pedagogical session to help students to cope with psychological distress due to conflicts.

- Treatment Arm 2: Mobile Phone-Based Teacher Professional Development (n≈40 schools)
Teachers of fifth and sixth-grade students receive structured pedagogical support through mobile phones via WhatsApp. Each week, teachers receive curriculum-aligned microlearning content including sample lessons, practice items, model CEP questions, teaching tips, and formative assessment tools sequenced to align with the national curriculum and CEP exam schedule. The intervention features two-way communication: teachers are encouraged to ask questions, share classroom experiences, submit photos of student work, and report learning difficulties. Project facilitators provide personalized coaching feedback, creating a responsive virtual learning community. Content is delivered in accessible formats (short text messages, voice notes, images) optimized for low-connectivity environments with limited data.
This treatment will improve teachers training through mobile distance support.

- Treatment Arm 3: Combined Intervention (n≈40 schools)
Schools receive both the enhanced tablet-based learning for students and teachers AND the mobile phone-based teacher professional development system, integrating student-facing and teacher-mediated technology support.

- Control Group (n≈40 schools)
Schools continue with standard instruction without additional technology interventions or specialized CEP preparation support.

Implementation features across treatment arms:
- Solar panels or alternative power solutions provided to schools lacking electricity infrastructure, removing a key barrier to participation
- Teacher training delivered through a combination of face-to-face and distance learning modalities to optimize cost-effectiveness and scalability
- Technical support available remotely, with teachers able to report issues via screenshots and receive guidance from project technicians
- All interventions span the academic year, targeting students in fifth and sixth grades during the critical period before CEP examination
- The tablet- and mobile-based curriculum will feature dedicated pedagogical sessions that help students cope with trauma and psychological distress arising from the protracted conflict in Burkina Faso.

2026-01-01

2026-06-01

1. CEP Exam Performance
- Overall CEP pass rates (school-level and individual-level)
- CEP scores (overall and by subject area)
2. Student Retention and Participation
- Student enrollment rates in CM1 and CM2
- Student attendance rates
- Dropout rates
3. Technology Engagement (Treatment Arms Only)
- Frequency of tablet use by students (Treatment Arms 1 and 3)
- Frequency of tablet use by teachers (Treatment Arms 1 and 3)
- Teacher participation rates in mobile phone-based professional development (Treatment Arms 2 and 3)
- Teacher response rates to weekly prompts and coaching interactions (Treatment Arms 2 and 3)
- Quality of teacher engagement with mobile platform content (Treatment Arms 2 and 3)


Data sources:
- Administrative data from schools and national education records
- Direct student assessments
- Digital usage analytics from tablets and mobile platforms
- Teacher surveys and activity logs

Design Type: School-level cluster randomized controlled trial with four parallel arms

Sample and Randomization:
Approximately 160 primary schools will be randomly assigned to one of four groups using computer-generated random assignment:
- Treatment Arm 1: Enhanced tablet-based learning (n≈40 schools)
- Treatment Arm 2: Mobile phone-based teacher professional development (n≈40 schools)
- Treatment Arm 3: Combined tablet and phone intervention (n≈40 schools)
- Control Group: Standard instruction (n≈40 schools)

Not available

Randomization will be conducted by computer.

The unit of randomization is the school, while the primary units of analysis include schools, teachers, and individual students in grades fifth and sixth. All students and teachers within treatment schools will be exposed to their assigned intervention.

Yes

160 schools.

Approximately 40 students per school.

40 school per arm.