IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/10483.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Can Digital Personalized Learning for Mathematics Remediation Level the Playing Field inHigher Education ? Experimental Evidence from Ecuador

Author

Listed:
  • Angel-Urdinola,Diego
  • Avitabile,Ciro
  • Chinen,Marjorie H

Abstract

Many Ecuadorian students entering higher education have cognitive skills gaps in mathematicsthat undermine their ability to assimilate academic contents. This paper presents the results of a randomizedcontrolled trial assessing the effects on academic outcomes of a Digital Personalized Learning Software for mathematicsremediation (the ALEKS software) offered to first-year students entering technical and technological highereducation programs in Ecuador amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The possibility to use the software led to a large and marginally significant decline in the probability ofrepeating a course, as well as a very large positive impact on standardized test scores in math. The analysis finds noimpact on the probability of enrolling in the third semester. When disaggregating the impacts, the findings showthat the effects on repetition are particularly large for male students, possibly because of higher male enrollment inscience, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. When assessing the potential mechanisms, thefindings show evidence that the software led to a net increase in hours dedicated to studying mathematics. Theresults suggest that Digital Personalized Learning Software can be a cost-effective solution for math remediation withpotential for large-scale application.

Suggested Citation

  • Angel-Urdinola,Diego & Avitabile,Ciro & Chinen,Marjorie H, 2023. "Can Digital Personalized Learning for Mathematics Remediation Level the Playing Field inHigher Education ? Experimental Evidence from Ecuador," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10483, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10483
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099252106152315172/pdf/IDU0b137aea2056ec0488809ef105350584c1163.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Shawn Cole & Esther Duflo & Leigh Linden, 2007. "Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 1235-1264.
    2. David S. Lee, 2009. "Training, Wages, and Sample Selection: Estimating Sharp Bounds on Treatment Effects," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(3), pages 1071-1102.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Holla,Alaka & Bendini,Maria Magdalena & Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Trako,Iva, 2021. "Is Investment in Preprimary Education Too Low ? Lessons from (Quasi) ExperimentalEvidence across Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9723, The World Bank.
    2. Blimpo, Moussa P. & Pugatch, Todd, 2021. "Entrepreneurship education and teacher training in Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. James Berry, 2015. "Child Control in Education Decisions: An Evaluation of Targeted Incentives to Learn in India," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(4), pages 1051-1080.
    4. Joshua D. Angrist & Sarah R. Cohodes & Susan M. Dynarski & Parag A. Pathak & Christopher R. Walters, 2016. "Stand and Deliver: Effects of Boston's Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(2), pages 275-318.
    5. G�nther Fink & Margaret McConnell & Sebastian Vollmer, 2014. "Testing for heterogeneous treatment effects in experimental data: false discovery risks and correction procedures," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 44-57, January.
    6. Jere R. Behrman & C. Simon Fan & Naijia Guo & Xiangdong Wei & Hongliang Zhang & Junsen Zhang, 2024. "Tutoring Efficacy, Household Substitution, And Student Achievement: Experimental Evidence From An After‐School Tutoring Program In Rural China," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 65(1), pages 149-189, February.
    7. Christopher Ksoll, Janny Aker, Danielle Miller, Karla C. Perez-Mendoza, and Susan L. Smalley, 2014. "Learning without Teachers? A Randomized Experiment of a Mobile Phone-Based Adult Education Program in Los Angeles - Working Paper 368," Working Papers 368, Center for Global Development.
    8. Annie Duflo & Jessica Kiessel & Adrienne Lucas, 2020. "Experimental Evidence on Alternative Policies to Increase Learning at Scale," NBER Working Papers 27298, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Naik, Gopal & Chitre, Chetan & Bhalla, Manaswini & Rajan, Jothsna, 2020. "Impact of use of technology on student learning outcomes: Evidence from a large-scale experiment in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    10. Santosh Kumar & Kaushalendra Kumar & Ramanan Laxminarayan & Arindam Nandi, 2022. "Birth Weight and Cognitive Development during Childhood: Evidence from India," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 41(2), pages 155-175, June.
    11. Fulya Ersoy, 2021. "Returns to effort: experimental evidence from an online language platform," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1047-1073, September.
    12. Kumar, G. Naveen, 2023. "Improving public school productivity: Evidence from model schools in India," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    13. Asadul Islam, 2017. "Parental Involvement in Education: Evidence from Field Experiments in Developing Countries," Monash Economics Working Papers 02-17, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    14. Sabrin Beg & Waqas Halim & Adrienne M. Lucas & Umar Saif, 2022. "Engaging Teachers with Technology Increased Achievement, Bypassing Teachers Did Not," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(2), pages 61-90, May.
    15. Piza, Caio & Zwager, Astrid & Ruzzante, Matteo & Dantas, Rafael & Loureiro, Andre, 2024. "Teacher-led innovations to improve education outcomes: Experimental evidence from Brazil," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    16. Mo, Di & Huang, Weiming & Shi, Yaojiang & Zhang, Linxiu & Boswell, Matthew & Rozelle, Scott, 2015. "Computer technology in education: Evidence from a pooled study of computer assisted learning programs among rural students in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 131-145.
    17. Jason T. Kerwin & Rebecca L. Thornton, 2021. "Making the Grade: The Sensitivity of Education Program Effectiveness to Input Choices and Outcome Measures," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(2), pages 251-264, May.
    18. Islam, Asad, 2019. "Parent–teacher meetings and student outcomes: Evidence from a developing country," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 273-304.
    19. Derksen, Laura & Michaud-Leclerc, Catherine & Souza, Pedro C.L., 2022. "Restricted access: How the internet can be used to promote reading and learning," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    20. Yi Lu & Hong Song, 2020. "The effect of educational technology on college students’ labor market performance," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 1101-1126, July.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10483. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.