Impact of technology use on student learning outcomes: Evidence from a large-scale experiment in India
Description
One of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Much of the existing research on the impact of technology on learning outcomes relies on designs that require low student-to-computer ratios and extensive teacher retraining. These requirements limit scalability and hinder the ability of such interventions to provide equitable access to education. This paper presents what is, to our knowledge, the first evaluation of an intervention specifically designed to address these constraints. We conduct a large-scale randomized field experiment across 1,823 rural government schools in India, where technology-aided instruction replaces approximately one-third of traditional classroom teaching. Despite operating under conditions of high student-to-computer ratios and minimal teacher training, the intervention yields significant improvements in student learning outcomes. The study demonstrates that a low-cost, resource-efficient technology-based model can be effectively implemented at scale in developing country settings. Such an approach holds strong potential for addressing poor learning outcomes while advancing inclusivity and equity in line with the objectives of SDG 4.
Copyright Date
January 2019
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Publisher
University of Michigan
Keywords
School education, Quality of learning, Technology-aided-teaching, SDG-4, Field experiment, India
Conference
Sustainability and Development Conference: 9-11 Novemebr, 2018, Ann Arbor, USA
