Sawada, Yasuyuki;
Mahmud, Minhaj;
Seki, Mai;
Kawarazaki, Hikaru;
(2023)
Fighting the Learning Crisis in Developing Countries: A Randomized Experiment of Self-Learning at the Right Level.
Economic Development and Cultural Change
10.1086/725909.
(In press).
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Abstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of a globally popular method of self-learning at the right level in improving learning outcomes—the cognitive and noncognitive abilities of disadvantaged students—in a developing country, Bangladesh. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we find substantial improvements in cognitive abilities measured by math test scores and catch-up effects in terms of noncognitive abilities or personality traits measured through a self-esteem scale. Moreover, our study is the first to use alternative cognitive ability measures, that is, time reduction as well as time-adjusted test score, which are critical dimensions of cognitive development. Subsequently, we investigate the long-term effects using students’ math results of the national-level exam. We find a reasonable longer-term impact on cognitive abilities 20 months after the intervention for younger students. Our estimates indicate that the program’s benefits exceed its costs.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fighting the Learning Crisis in Developing Countries: A Randomized Experiment of Self-Learning at the Right Level |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1086/725909 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1086/725909 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2023 The University of Chicago. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-commercial reuse of the work with attribution. For commercial use, contact journalpermissions@press.uchicago.edu. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Economics |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10177434 |
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