AEA RCT Registry

Fields Changed

Registration

Field	Before	After
Trial Status	in_development	on_going
Trial End Date	July 01, 2022	March 31, 2023
Last Published	April 09, 2021 02:47 PM	August 08, 2022 11:18 AM
Intervention (Public)	The intervention evaluates a mobile application to support teachers in implementing a targeted instruction program.	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 End Date	July 01, 2022	January 31, 2023
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
Experimental Design (Public)	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 For groups T1-T3, we will also vary the content of text messages sent to remind teachers to use the tool.	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
Keyword(s)	Education	Education
Intervention (Hidden)	The technology tool assists teachers and administrators with the following activities: 1. Student assessment - the software includes a library of quizzes on Math, Urdu, and English aligned to student learning objectives (SLOs) for primary-level students that can be conducted orally or in written form by printing the tests or copying questions to the board. The tool also provides a diagnostic test to sort kids into peer learning groups and a formative and summative test to evaluate progress across multiple SLOs. 2. Grading - the software allows for efficient grading through a mechanism that allows teachers to input student test scores easily. 3. Sorting by Ability - based on performance on the diagnostic test, the software sorts students into four-subject specific ability groups and identifies learning gaps for each group. 4. Link to Remedial Curriculum and Lesson Plans - the software prompts daily lesson plans and curricular activities for each ability level to build foundational skills and help students who are further behind catch up. 5. Tracking - the software aggregates test grades to identify how each student and the class overall are progressing, and identifies key learning gaps. 6. Training - teachers can access videos that demonstrate how TI activities can be conducted in classroom and FAQs to reinforce concepts from the training in paper-based and technology-supported TI. 7. Monitoring - the tool provides a dashboard for head teachers and district administrators to monitor classroom implementation of the program and student learning 8. Reminders - the tool sends text reminders to teachers at key moments in the program.	The technology tool assists teachers and administrators with the following activities: 1. Student assessment - the software includes a library of quizzes on Math, Urdu, and English aligned to student learning objectives (SLOs) for primary-level students. The tool also provides a written and oral diagnostic test to sort kids into peer learning groups and a summative test to evaluate progress across multiple SLOs. 2. Grading - the software allows for efficient grading through a mechanism that allows teachers to input student test scores easily. 3. Sorting by Ability - based on performance on the diagnostic test, the software sorts students into four-subject specific ability groups and identifies learning gaps for each group. After each quiz, the software sorts kids in each classroom into mixed ability peer groups for a revision session where they can help each other. 4. Tracking - the software aggregates test grades to identify how each student and the class overall are progressing, and identifies key learning gaps. 5. Training - teachers can access videos that demonstrate how TI activities can be conducted in classroom and FAQs to reinforce concepts from the training in paper-based and technology-supported TI. 6. Monitoring - the tool provides a dashboard for head teachers and district administrators to monitor classroom implementation of the program and student learning 7. Reminders - while not integrated into the tech tool, we use WhatsApp groups as an extension of technology to send teachers key program reminders. 8. Peer learning - the WhatsApp groups also allow teachers to share advice amongst themselves
Secondary Outcomes (End Points)	Teacher and school leader satisfaction; app usage post text messages	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)
Building on Existing Work		No