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The impact of a computer based adult literacy program on literacy and numeracy : evidence from India

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  • Deshpande, Ashwini
  • Desrochers, Alain
  • Ksoll, Christopher
  • Shonchoy, Abu S.

Abstract

With over 700 million illiterate adults in the world, many governments have implemented adult literacy programs across the world, although typically with low rates of success partly because the quality of teaching is low. One solution may lie in the standardization of teaching provided by computer-aided instruction. We present the first rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of a computer-based adult literacy program. A randomized control trial study of TARA Akshar Plus, an Indian adult literacy program, was implemented in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. We find large, significant impacts of this computer-aided program on literacy and numeracy outcomes. We compare the improvement in learning to that of other traditional adult literacy programs and conclude that TARA Akshar Plus is effective in increasing literacy and numeracy for illiterate adult women.

Suggested Citation

  • Deshpande, Ashwini & Desrochers, Alain & Ksoll, Christopher & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2016. "The impact of a computer based adult literacy program on literacy and numeracy : evidence from India," IDE Discussion Papers 551, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    • Handle: RePEc:jet:dpaper:dpaper551
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    Cited by:

    1. Aker, Jenny C. & Sawyer, Melita & Berry, James, 2024. "Making sense of the shapes: What do we know about literacy learning in adulthood?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Long Yang & Haiyang Lu & Sangui Wang & Meng Li, 2021. "Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1065-1086, December.
    3. Thomas,Michael Stephen Charles & Knowland, Victoria C. P. & Rogers, Cathy, 2020. "The Science of Adult Literacy," Policy Research Working Paper Series 145579, The World Bank.
    4. Bhardwaj, Sakshi & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2024. "Social identity and learning: Adult literacy program in India," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. Ashutosh Jha & Debashis Saha, 2022. "Mobile Broadband for Inclusive Connectivity: What Deters the High-Capacity Deployment of 4G-LTE Innovation in India?," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1305-1329, August.
    6. Nishant Chadha & Soma Wadhwa, 2018. "Impact of an Adult Literacy Programme on the Personal and Public Lives of Women," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 13(1), pages 82-111, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    India; Adult education; Literacy; Women; Adult Literacy Program; ICT;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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