Tech for Teacher Support: A study of technology take-up and effectiveness to scale-up Targeted Instruction (TI) in Pakistan

Last registered on August 08, 2022

Pre-Trial

General Information

Title

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0007469

Initial registration date

April 08, 2021

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

April 09, 2021, 2:47 PM EDT

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

Last updated

August 08, 2022, 11:18 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Pakistan

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Isabel Macdonald

Affiliation

UC Berkeley

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Tahir Andrabi

PI Affiliation

Pomona College

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Juan Baron

PI Affiliation

World Bank

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2021-07-01

End date

2023-03-31

Keywords

Education

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

The education system in Pakistan is characterized by low average learning and high learning inequality, both of which have been aggravated by COVID-19 related school closures. In other contexts, targeted instruction programs that tailor teaching content to students' actual learning levels have proven effective in raising learning, however these programs have often required costly additional teaching resources. To better scale targeted instruction, we test whether a low cost technology support tool can assist teachers in implementing the program without extra human inputs. We also explore whether the benefit of this technology is heterogeneous across teachers, and whether teachers who can benefit most from the tool self-select into using it immediately or after a trial period.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Andrabi, Tahir, Juan Baron and Isabel Macdonald. 2022. "Tech for Teacher Support: A study of technology take-up and effectiveness to scale-up Targeted Instruction (TI) in Pakistan ." AEA RCT Registry. August 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7469-1.1

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The intervention evaluates a targeted instruction program for public primary schools in Pakistan, as well as a smartphone-based application to support teachers in implementing the program.

Intervention Start Date

2021-07-01

Intervention End Date

2023-01-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Teacher take up of technology and student test scores in math, Urdu, and English

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Take up of technology: usage of tech for the diagnostic test/sorting activity and to enter ongoing quiz scores/track student learning.
Examine heterogeneity by teacher background (tech ability, age, gender, qualification, attitudes about program, Big 5, grit) and school characteristics (STR, number of teachers, urban/rural), baseline test results

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Teacher and school leader satisfaction; changes in self-reported classroom behavior; classroom observation data

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Examine heterogeneity by teacher background (tech ability, age, gender, qualification, attitudes about program, Big 5, grit) and school characteristics (STR, number of teachers, urban/rural)

Experimental Design

T1: Mandatory technology - teachers are required to use the technology throughout the intervention
T2: Optional technology - teachers can elect whether to use the technology or administer targeted instruction manually (paper-based system)
T3: Mandatory, then optional technology - teachers must use the technology for an initial trial period, then can decide whether to continue
T4: No technology - teachers implement targeted instruction manually (paper-based system)
T5: Pure control - no targeted instruction program

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization done in office by a computer

Randomization Unit

School level randomization

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

1,250 schools

Sample size: planned number of observations

5,000 teachers (4/schooll) 75,000 students (60/school)

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

250 schools mandatory technology
250 schools optional technology
250 schools mandatory, then optional technology
250 schools no technology
250 schools pure control (no targeted instruction)

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Technology take up: Unit: teachers with intra-cluster correlation by school of 0.8 Attrition: 10% SD: 1 Baseline mean: 0.35 MDE: 0.13 at power 80% power, 0.15 at 90% power Student test scores: Unit: students with intra-cluster correlation by school of 0.8 Attrition: 10% SD: 1 Baseline mean: 0 (standardized scores) MDE: Subject dependent: 0.116 (Urdu), 0.136 (English), 0.117 (Math) at 80% power. 0.134 (Urdu) , 0.158 (English), 0.136 (Math) at 90% power.

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB