Improving education in remote and isolated areas in Indonesia

Last registered on January 21, 2020

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improving education in remote and isolated areas in Indonesia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003157
Initial registration date
July 19, 2018

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
July 24, 2018, 2:08 AM EDT

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

Last updated
January 21, 2020, 11:19 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Arkansas

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
University of Amsterdam
PI Affiliation
World Bank
PI Affiliation
University of Goettingen
PI Affiliation
Vassar College

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2016-10-01
End date
2019-12-30
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This study will compare three interventions aimed at improving teacher presence, teacher service performance, and student learning outcomes in remote areas of Indonesia with business as usual approach through a randomized controlled trial. All interventions involve facilitation to help communities and schools agree upon service standards, with quantifiable indicators for each teacher, which are subsequently monitored and scored on a monthly basis by community and parent representatives. Two extensions add monetary incentives for teachers who receive the remote area allowance. In the first, the allowance is cut based on the rate of teachers presence, and not paid if the rate falls below a set threshold. In the second, the allowance is cut based on the score on teacher service performance based on the service standards. The study is implemented in 270 schools in 2 districts in East Nusa Tenggara and 3 districts in West Kalimantan provinces of Indonesia.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bjork, Christopher et al. 2020. "Improving education in remote and isolated areas in Indonesia." AEA RCT Registry. January 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3157-1.1
Former Citation
Bjork, Christopher et al. 2020. "Improving education in remote and isolated areas in Indonesia." AEA RCT Registry. January 21. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3157/history/61069
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This study will compare three interventions aimed at improving teacher presence, teacher service performance, and student learning outcomes in remote areas of Indonesia with business as usual approach through a randomized controlled trial. All interventions involve facilitation to help communities and schools agree upon service standards, with quantifiable indicators for each teacher, which are subsequently monitored and scored on a monthly basis by community and parent representatives. Two extensions add monetary incentives for teachers who receive the remote area allowance. In the first, the allowance is cut based on the rate of teachers presence, and not paid if the rate falls below a set threshold. In the second, the allowance is cut based on the score on teacher service performance based on the service standards.
Intervention Start Date
2016-11-01
Intervention End Date
2018-12-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student learning outcomes, teacher absenteeism
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Parental support of learning, teacher effort
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We implemented a randomized controlled trial in 270 primary schools in 2 districts in East Nusa Tenggara and 3 districts in West Kalimantan provinces of Indonesia. These schools are divided into the three treatment arms and a control group.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization was done in the office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
The randomized schools were clustered at the village level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
219 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
270 schools
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
67 in Control, 67 in Treatment 1, 68 in Treatment 2, 68 in Treatment 3,
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The minimum detectable effect size for student learning is 0.165 SD (with a sample size of 67 per cell) and 80 percent power.
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Arkansas
IRB Approval Date
2016-10-18
IRB Approval Number
16-09-110
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
May 31, 2019, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials