Your search

Several rigorously evaluated programs have recently shown positive effects on early literacy and numeracy outcomes in developing countries. However, these programs have not been designed to evaluate which ingredients of the interventions are most essential to improve literacy outcomes. Policy makers therefore lack evidence as to whether program ingredients such as teacher professional development (PD), instructional coaching, learner materials, teachers’ guides, community support, or...

Education of poor and disadvantaged populations has been a long-standing challenge for education systems in both developed and developing countries. In China, millions of students in rural areas and migrant communities lag far behind their urban counterparts in terms of academic achievement. When they fall behind, they often have no way to catch up. Many of their parents have neither the skills nor the money to provide remedial tutoring; rural teachers often do not have time to give students...

The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the education sector at an unprecedented scale. In order to contain the spread of the virus, a large number of countries across the globe have shut their schools to handle the pandemic. However, it has adversely affected students’ learning and school attendance. In this regard, we assess the impact of COVID-19 on the learning loss, school dropout, and the economic costs in term of foregone earnings for children in Pakistan. The...

The emergence of educational technology (“EdTech”) in developing countries has been received as a promising avenue to address some of the most challenging policy questions within educational systems. In this paper, I review and synthesize all existing studies with credible causal identification frameworks of EdTech interventions in developing countries. While other studies review the evidence for EdTech interventions in developed countries, there is currently no equivalent study for...

What should be considered when developing a literacy intervention that asks teachers to implement new instructional methods? How can this be achieved with minimal support within existing policy? We argue that two broad sets of considerations must be made in designing such an intervention. First, the intervention must be effective by bridging the gap between current teacher practice and the scientific literature on effective instruction. This broad consideration is detailed with 10 design...

The education of the disadvantaged population has been a long-standing challenge to education systems in both developed and developing countries. Although computer-assisted learning (CAL) has been considered one alternative to improve learning outcomes in a cost-effective way, the empirical evidence of its impacts on improving learning outcomes is mixed. This paper uses a randomized field experiment to explore the effects of CAL on student academic and non-academic outcomes for students in...

Optimising Session Duration on Digital Personalised Learning Tools for Early Grade Learners (Evidence Brief No. 1)

Sun, C., Moustafa, N., Daltry, R., … Friedberg, A. - 2025 - EdTech Hub

This is the first in a series of evidence briefs, reporting on four A/B/n tests which explore different features to enhance digital personalised learning (DPL) tools. This brief investigates the optimal number of minutes for pre-primary learners on a classroom-integrated digital personalised learning tool to optimise learning outcomes. The A/B/C test found different levels of session duration impacted on literacy and numeracy outcomes, with the findings for numeracy dependent on grade level....

What should be considered when developing a literacy intervention that asks teachers to implement new instructional methods? How can this be achieved with minimal support within existing policy? We argue that two broad sets of considerations must be made in designing such an intervention. First, the intervention must be effective by bridging the gap between current teacher practice and the scientific literature on effective instruction. This broad consideration is detailed with 10 design...

Teacher Motivation: Exploring non-financial incentives in school-based teacher professional development in Tanzania [Preprint]

Anonymised for Peer Review - 2025 - EdTech Hub

High-income countries often use external incentives such as remuneration, professional pathways or accreditation to motivate teachers to engage in professional development. This paper reflects on the challenges of engaging teachers in school-based professional development in resource-scarce education environments where the use of such incentives is not feasible and explores practical strategies to motivate their engagement. In such contexts, where qualified teacher status and promotion are...

ICT has contributed greatly to educational management in schools globally (Zhao and Frank, 2003). However, in Kenya schools hardly use ICTs to manage the quality of output, or to raise teacher productivity, or to reduce costs through analyzing spending. This is attributed to a myriad of challenges facing most schools in Kenya with regard to adoption of ICTs in educational management. This has resulted to a slow rate of adoption of technology despite its promise and potential for use in...

The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the education sector at an unprecedented scale. In order to contain the spread of the virus, a large number of countries across the globe have shut their schools to handle the pandemic. However, it has adversely affected students' learning and school attendance. In this regard, we assess the impact of COVID-19 on the learning loss, school dropout, and the economic costs in term of foregone earnings for children in Pakistan. The...

This report is the second in a Series on early child development in low-income and middle-income countries and assesses the effectiveness of early child development interventions, such as parenting support and preschool enrolment. The evidence reviewed suggests that early child development can be improved through these interventions, with effects greater for programmes of higher quality and for the most vulnerable children. Other promising interventions for the promotion of early child...

Key considerations when developing an ICT in  Education strategy (Helpdesk Response No. 43)

AlSheikh Theeb, T., Chuang, R., & Pandit, S. - 2022 - EdTech Hub

This report was commissioned by UNICEF and produced under UNICEF and EdTech Hub’s global partnership, in response to a request from the UNICEF Laos team that was submitted to the EdTech Hub Helpdesk. It presents key considerations on the overarching process to develop an ICT in Education strategy (e.g., components, stakeholders, timelines) and lists examples of other national ICT in Education and EdTech strategies. Keywords: EdTech strategies; ICT in Education strategies An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Oculocutaneous albinism is an inherited condition with significant health and social impact on the lives of those affected throughout sub-Saharan, including in Malawi. Myths and superstitions surrounding the condition lead to stigmatisation, rejection and misconceptions. In a participatory study, consultations with educational professionals, children with albinism and their families documented the barriers to full educational access and revealed low-cost strategies that could be implemented...

Following elections in 1994, the Government of Malawi embarked on an ambitious programme of free primary education (FPE), resulting in a dramatic increase in enrolment. The paper argues that the policy did not sufficiently consider the ways in which direct and indirect costs of schooling continue to be prohibitive for some households, or the effects that the expansion would have on quality. The relevance of education for the majority of children who receive only a few years of primary...

As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and distance learning (ODL) student teachers, was launched in the spring of 2011 using a low-cost portable MP3 multi-purpose device. A short course on...

Schools closed extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic and occur in other settings, such as teacher strikes and natural disasters. This paper provides some of the first experimental evidence on strategies to minimize learning loss when schools close. We run a randomized trial of low-technology interventions – SMS messages and phone calls – with parents to support their child. The combined treatment cost-effectively improves learning by 0.12 standard deviations. We develop remote assessment...