Intervention(s)
The intervention modifies the feedback that students receive while completing a 30-exercise math activity on the Apprendemos platform.
Control – Status quo Apprendemos feedback
For all 30 items, students receive the standard platform feedback, which simply indicates whether an answer is correct or incorrect.
Treatment 1 – Expert-based feedback
Items 1–5: standard Apprendemos feedback.
Items 6–25: rule-based feedback. Messages depend on the answers chosen for that particular item and are pre-specified by content experts.
Items 26–30: standard Apprendemos feedback.
Treatment 2 – AI feedback
Items 1–5: standard Apprendemos feedback.
Items 6–25: AI-generated feedback based on the student’s current response and past responses, produced via a generative AI model integrated into the platform.
Items 26–30: standard Apprendemos feedback.
Within the two treatment arms, feedback messages have the same structure:
If the student answers correctly on the first or second attempt, they receive the same “correct” message as in the status quo Apprendemos feedback (kept constant across arms).
On the first incorrect attempt, the student receives a hint. On the second incorrect attempt, the student receives an explanation and the correct answer.
Messages combine pedagogical content (e.g., explanations of the relevant math concept or procedure) and motivational content (e.g., encouragement to keep trying).
The intervention is implemented in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), GRADE, and Apprendemos, with software development provided by the firm Pyxis to enable the three feedback modalities.