A catch-up program for struggling students : evidence from a randomized evaluation of "a second change" in Nepal | |
| Author | Joshi, Dilasha |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.DS-22-03 |
| Subject(s) | Poor children--Education--Nepal Learning--Nepal |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development and Sustainability |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The global focus has shifted to ensuring not only access and equity, but also learning for all, characterized by the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goal No. 4. It has become clear that extra years in school do not necessarily translate into additional learning. The lack of learning is a challenge for public school systems throughout the global south, as well as in many other countries around the world. Although access, equity, and enrollment have improved significantly over the last two decades, no comparable improvement has occurred in students’ learning outcomes. The consequence is reflected in high dropout rates, as students who fall behind in the early grades are not given the help needed to catch back up. In this thesis, data from a randomized control trial (RCT) of the initiative “A second chance!” conducted among 131 students across 10 project schools in central Nepal were evaluated. The intervention entailed 72-lesson long remedial education courses (RECs) for low-performing public school students in Grades 3-5. The RECs are led and taught by local youth hired and trained to teach the REC-curriculum. The RECs aimed for students to gain both the foundational Nepali literacy and numeracy skills to stay in and complete school, as well as for local youth to gain work and teaching experiences. Students were assessed on the 4-point scale using appropriated tools based partly on the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) toolkits. The difference in-differences method, combined with mahalanobis distance matching, show significant learning effects. The average effect of the REC on the overall performance was +2.7 learning levels. The effects on the Nepali and math levels were +0.87 and +1.31 levels, respectively. In addition, female students were found to perform better than male students. Grade 4 students were higher in numbers in terms of lagging in class and eventually making greater progress too. Non-tamang students performed significantly better in math. Students at schools in urban areas outperformed those at rural schools. The seven-month post-REC effect on the overall learning level was significant while the effect on math was smaller than the effect on Nepali suggesting that throughout the course the students had constant supervision and guidance from the fellows which helped them progress a lot in such a short period of time which may have stopped abruptly as soon as the course ended not having received the same level of support from their parents at home or at school from their teachers. |
| Year | 2022 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Development and Sustainability (DS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Tsusaka, Takuji W.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Kusakabe, Kyoko;Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AIT Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2022 |