AEA RC T Registr y

The American Economic Association's registry for randomized controlled trials

The science and environment program, uses an inquiry- and problem-based pedagogical approach. Rather than teaching students to simply memorize the history of science and scientific facts (as it is traditionally done), the new approach focuses on the development of scientific thinking and an understanding of what they can do with their knowledge. The methodology builds on children’s curiosity and natural proclivity to explore the world around them. The program encompasses three modules – our environment, the human body, and our physical world – which were piloted in third grade classes within 53 treated schools in the department of Lima and evaluated via an experimental design (with 53 comparison schools that continued with the traditional teaching approach).

2010-04-01

2012-12-31

Student achievement in natural science. The test applied at baseline was 2nd grade level, and the endline test was 3rd grade level.

The research strategy consisted of three components. First, an experimental designed evaluation to estimate the causal impact of the new pedagogical approach on scholastic achievement of the students. Second, surveys of principals, teachers, parents and students were carried out to obtain the socio-demographic information of the schools and the students’ families. Third, a qualitative evaluation was carried out to further understand the context of the treatment and the evaluation. The experimental design covered 106 schools in the Department of Lima where the random assignment of the treatment was at the school level, that is, 53 treated and 53 non-treated schools, with a total of 2,771 third grade students in the 106 schools. The sample was stratified according to school location (urban, metropolitan, and rural). For
budgetary reasons only two classrooms per school were included. In the schools where there were more than two classes, the two classes included in the evaluation were chosen randomly in the presence of the principal.

Randomization was done in office by a computer.

The randomization was conducted at the school level.

Yes

Originally we planned for 108 schools.

We originally estimated to include some 3,000 students. In the endline we had 2,401 students.

Originally we planned for 108 schools, but in the final evaluation 106 schools partook, including 53 treatment schools and 53 control schools.

The needed sample size to ensure an 80% statistical power (beta = 0.20) with a significance level (alpha) of 0.1, was calculated at design to be 108 schools (36 Treatment, 36 Control, and an additional 36 for pilot tests), a minimal detectable effect (MDE) of 0.20, and considering an intra-cluster correlation – rho - of 0.15 (consistent with the rho in other educational training programs).

In today's knowledge-based societies, understanding basic scientific concepts and the capacity to structure and solve scientific questions is more critical than ever. Accordingly, in this article we test an innovative methodology for teaching science and environment in public primary schools where traditional (teacher-centred) teaching was replaced with student-centred activities using LEGO kits. We document positive and significant improvements of 0.18 standard deviations in standardised test scores. Such positive results are mainly concentrated within boys that were located above the median of baseline academic performance.

Diether W. Beuermann, Emma Naslund-Hadley, Inder J. Ruprah & Jennelle Thompson (2013) The Pedagogy of Science and Environment: Experimental Evidence from Peru, The Journal of Development Studies, 49:5, 719-736, DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2012.754432