Going Public: Breathing New Life into Learning

Last registered on December 09, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Going Public: Breathing New Life into Learning
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017407
Initial registration date
December 05, 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
December 09, 2025, 7:44 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Pakistan
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Samreen Malik
Affiliation
New York University (AD)
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
David Blakeslee
PI Affiliation
NYUAD
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PI Name
Torsten Figueiredo Walter
PI Affiliation
NYUAD
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PI Name
Nitin Kumar Bharti
PI Affiliation
University of Western Australia
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PI Name
Khizer Asad
PI Affiliation
NYUAD
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-10-02
End date
2026-04-01
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This project examines the effectiveness of air purifiers in improving indoor air quality and their impact on educational and behavioral outcomes in public school settings characterized by inadequate infrastructure and overcrowding. Conducted in collaboration with the Punjab Ministry of Education, our randomized intervention placed air purifiers in classrooms significantly more dilapidated than typical private schools. We assess the impacts on cognitive performance, classroom disruption (measured objectively through noise levels), and behavioral aspects such as moral values, cooperation, free-riding tendencies, and risk-taking behaviors—factors essential for effective teamwork and future labor-market success. Using baseline and follow-up assessments administered to grade 2 students at randomly assigned intervals of 1,2,4,5,8 or 9 weeks of exposure, our experimental design aims to provide causal evidence on the timing and cumulative effects of air purification. These findings offer critical insights for policymakers considering investments to improve air quality and educational outcomes in public schools.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Asad, Khizer et al. 2025. "Going Public: Breathing New Life into Learning." AEA RCT Registry. December 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17407-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We provide purifiers in randomly selected grade 2 classrooms in public schools. We also place air monitors in treatment and control sections to track air quality.
Intervention Start Date
2025-10-07
Intervention End Date
2025-12-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Air Quality, Test performance (number of questions attempted, number of correct responses)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Air Quality: We use air monitoring devices to quantify the variations in air quality resulting from our intervention.
2. Test performance: Students take a test, and their performance in terms of attempted questions and the number of correct responses will be used to measure performance.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Behavioral Measures and Noise (Risk Behavior, Free Riding, Moral Judgement, Cooperation Disruption)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We employed a stratified randomization design, assigning 240 schools into treatment and control groups within each stratum. Stratification was based on two dimensions: the gender composition of the schools and the exposure window, resulting in a total of 18 strata.

In total, 117 sections were randomly assigned to the treatment group, with the remaining sections placed in the control group. If a school had multiple sections, one section was randomly selected. Monitors were also randomly assigned within each stratum. To remotely collect noise levels (in decibels) and other data, mobile phones were placed in each selected classroom for the duration of the study.

Randomization maintained proportional representation across exposure durations and gendered statrum, with more weight given to 1 and 2 week exposures, second highest weight given to 4 and 5 week exposure and third highest weight to 8 and 9 week exposure.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Stratified randomization is done in the office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Section Level
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
240 sections
Sample size: planned number of observations
Based on 20 students per section, the total pupils expected are 4800 or more.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
117 treated section and 123 control sections
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
New York University Abu Dhabi
IRB Approval Date
2025-10-02
IRB Approval Number
HRPP-2023-71
Analysis Plan