Are Public Schools in Developing Countries Ready to Integrate EdTech into Regular Instruction?

Ferman, Bruno and Finamor, Lucas and Lima, Lycia (2019): Are Public Schools in Developing Countries Ready to Integrate EdTech into Regular Instruction?

Abstract

We study the impacts of a program that introduced a computer-assisted learning platform into regular math classes using a randomized control trial in Brazilian primary public schools. Once a week, teachers would take their students to the school's computer lab and teach using the online Khan Academy platform, instead of their standard math classes. We find no average treatment effect on students' math proficiency. However, we find positive effects of the program on measures of attitudes towards math. Moreover, we find suggestive evidence that the program may have positive effects on proficiency when there are no infrastructure problems and when the implementation modality is based on one computer per student. These results highlight the implementation challenges associated with educational tech-interventions in developing countries.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Computer-aided learning, Education Technology, Program Implementation
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I21 - Analysis of Education; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J24 - Human Capital ; Skills ; Occupational Choice ; Labor Productivity

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