Improving primary school learning through Community-Based Study Groups and Teaching at the Right Level: Evidence from India
- Researchers:
Martina Bjorkman Nyqvist and Andrea Guariso
- Partners:
J-Pal, Pratham.
- Location:
India
- Sample:
6,400 children from 200 villages
- Timeline:
2018-2020
- Theme:
Education
- Description:
The dramatic improvements in enrolment rates that have been achieved in most developing countries over the past decade have not been matched by comparable improvements in learning outcomes. There is therefore an urgent need to move from more schooling to more learning. This project investigates two approaches to improve learning outcomes for primary school children in rural areas of India. The first approach is based on out-of-school study groups, managed by the local community, that provide children with time and space to study together. The second approach consists of an in-school pedagogical intervention, which aims at teaching children according to their level of knowledge rather than the grade they are in. We will implement a Randomized Controlled Trial with a cross-cutting design in order to evaluate the impact of the two approaches separately as well as their joint impact. The primary outcome of interest is children’s test scores. The trial has been registered with the AEA RCT Registry (AEARCTR-0002817)