Learning while Scaling Ed-Tech: Teacher Support, Implementation Fidelity, and Adaptive Iteration in Cambodia’s Targeted Instruction Program

Last registered on September 21, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Learning while Scaling Ed-Tech: Teacher Support, Implementation Fidelity, and Adaptive Iteration in Cambodia’s Targeted Instruction Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019363
Initial registration date
September 04, 2026

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 21, 2026, 6:55 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Sharnic Djaker
Affiliation
Oxford University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sharnic Djaker
PI Affiliation
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-11-01
End date
2027-09-01
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This research project evaluates the early scale-up of Personalized Teaching to Overcome Marginalization (PTOM), a technology-enabled targeted instruction programme designed to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy among primary school children in Cambodia. Through a randomised controlled trial involving 750 schools, the study will assess whether different levels of teacher training, virtual monitoring, and implementation support improve programme fidelity and student learning outcomes. The results will generate actionable evidence to help the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport refine PTOM delivery and support effective scale-up nationwide.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Djaker, Sharnic and Sharnic Djaker. 2026. "Learning while Scaling Ed-Tech: Teacher Support, Implementation Fidelity, and Adaptive Iteration in Cambodia’s Targeted Instruction Program." AEA RCT Registry. September 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19363-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This research evaluates the early scale-up of Personalized Teaching to Overcome Marginalization (PTOM), a technology-enabled targeted instruction programme implemented by Cambodia’s Department of Primary Education (DPE), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). PTOM uses diagnostic assessments to identify students’ competency levels, group students accordingly, and provide level-aligned literacy and mathematics content through Cambodia’s national Personalized Learning Platform (PLP). The evaluation will use a school-level randomised controlled trial to assess whether different levels of implementation support improve programme fidelity and student learning outcomes. The SIEF proposal specifies 750 schools randomly assigned across three groups: online access to PTOM only; online access plus in-person training; and online access plus in-person training, digitally enabled virtual monitoring and structured implementation support. Primary outcomes include student literacy and mathematics performance and measures of implementation fidelity. 
Intervention Start Date
2026-11-01
Intervention End Date
2027-09-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Primary outcomes include student literacy and mathematics performance and measures of implementation fidelity. 
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The evaluation will use a school-level randomised controlled trial to assess whether different levels of implementation support improve programme fidelity and student learning outcomes. The SIEF proposal specifies 750 schools randomly assigned across three groups: online access to PTOM only; online access plus in-person training; and online access plus in-person training, digitally enabled virtual monitoring and structured implementation support.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
By computer
Randomization Unit
School (cluster)
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
750 Schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
11,250 Students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 Schools per arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Power calculations assume up to 20% student non-response, up to 2% school attrition, a baseline mean of 0.61, an inferred standard deviation of 0.488, an intra-cluster correlation of 0.15 and a significance level of 0.05. The resulting minimum detectable effect is 4.54 percentage points at 80% power and 5.25 percentage points at 90% power.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan