A cost-benefit analysis of different uses of technologies and pedagogical approaches in education

Last registered on April 08, 2014
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
A cost-benefit analysis of different uses of technologies and pedagogical approaches in education
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000337
First published
April 08, 2014, 9:56 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Costa Rica
Region
Central America

Primary Investigator

Name
Matias Busso
Affiliation
Inter-American Development Bank
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Samuel Berlinski
PI Affiliation
Inter-American Development Bank
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2012-04-02
End date
2012-09-10
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Education, Technology, Active Learning, Curricular Reform, Teacher Training, Laptops, Interactive whiteboards, Computer Labs, Mathematics, Field Experiments, Costa Rica
JEL code(s)
C93, I21, I28, O32
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We created a pedagogical intervention designed to give students a more active role in the learning of geometry –one of three units of the seventh grade curriculum or about three months of teaching. A key aspect of this change relies on providing them with guided opportunities to explore and discover. In mathematics, a potentially important lever in this process is the use of technology. Our experiment explores a gradient of technologies that could complement this pedagogical approach. We randomly assigned the 85 participating schools to one of five conditions: (1) status-quo (i.e., control); (2) active learning; (3) active learning and an interactive whiteboard; (4) active learning and a computer lab; (5) active learning and a laptop for every child in the classroom. All students (18,000) and teachers (190) in the seventh grade of these schools participated in the experiment.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Berlinski, Samuel and Matias Busso. 2014. "A cost-benefit analysis of different uses of technologies and pedagogical approaches in education." AEA RCT Registry. April 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.337-1.0
Former Citation
Berlinski, Samuel and Matias Busso. 2014. "A cost-benefit analysis of different uses of technologies and pedagogical approaches in education." AEA RCT Registry. April 08. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/337/history/1500
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention has two ingredients. First, a pedagogical intervention that fosters active learning in math. Second, we explore how three technologies (interactive whiteboard, computer labs, and a laptop for every child in the classroom) interact with the pedagogical approach. The intervention included teacher professional development, development and distribution of materials (teacher manuals and students workbooks), equipment for the classroom, and development of applets to be used in the technology arms.
Intervention Start Date
2012-05-17
Intervention End Date
2012-09-05

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Our main outcome of interest is a psychometrically valid test of geometry which measures the impact of this intervention. The objective of the test was not only to measure the content knowledge of the students but also their mastery of higher-order geometric practices that require, for example, that students pick, compare, justify or refute conjectures and propositions.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will test the impact of our intervention using a randomized controlled trial. We will form five groups of schools: 20 control schools, 20 schools that receive the active learning curriculum, 15 schools that receive active learning and interactive whiteboards, 15 schools that receive active learning and computer labs, and 15 schools that receive active learning and one laptop per student.

We will then contrast the difference in outcomes after the intervention took place. In particular, we are interested in studying the effect of the active learning curriculum on geometry test scores and the effect of adding technology (and keeping the pedagogical approach constant). Since we study technologies that vary in cost we are also interested on the differential effect of the technologies.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by computer
Randomization Unit
School
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
85
Sample size: planned number of observations
6000 students and 185 teachers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
20 schools in control, 20 schools in active learning curriculum, 15 schools in smartboards, 15 schools in computer labs, 15 schools in one laptop per student. We planned to surveyed and administered tests to approximately 70 students per school.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Consejo Superior de Educación de Costa Rica
IRB Approval Date
2012-02-15
IRB Approval Number
CSE-SG-168-2012
IRB Name
Fundacion Omar Dengo
IRB Approval Date
2012-01-19
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
September 05, 2012, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
September 10, 2012, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
85 schools
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
4157
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
20 schools in control, 20 schools in active learning curriculum, 15 in smart-boards, 15 in computer labs and 15 in on laptop per student
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

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Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials