ERIC Number: EJ1070844
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Sep
Pages: 42
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-6543
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Improving Learning in Primary Schools of Developing Countries: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Experiments
McEwan, Patrick J.
Review of Educational Research, v85 n3 p353-394 Sep 2015
I gathered 77 randomized experiments (with 111 treatment arms) that evaluated the effects of school-based interventions on learning in developing-country primary schools. On average, monetary grants and deworming treatments had mean effect sizes that were close to zero and not statistically significant. Nutritional treatments, treatments that disseminated information, and treatments that improved school management or supervision, had small mean effect sizes (0.04-0.06) that were not always robust to controls for study moderators. The largest mean effect sizes included treatments with computers or instructional technology (0.15); teacher training (0.12); smaller classes, smaller learning groups within classes, or ability grouping (0.12); contract or volunteer teachers (0.10); student and teacher performance incentives (0.09); and instructional materials (0.08). Metaregressions suggested that the effects of contract teachers and materials were partly accounted for by composite treatments that included training and/or class size reduction. There are insufficient data to judge the relative cost-effectiveness of categories of interventions.
Descriptors: Meta Analysis, Educational Improvement, Elementary School Students, Developing Nations, Ability Grouping, Incentives, Intervention, Grants, Effect Size, Nutrition, Information Dissemination, School Administration, Educational Technology, Regression (Statistics), Class Size, Educational Strategies, Cost Effectiveness, Teacher Effectiveness, Coding, School Effectiveness, Outcomes of Treatment, Literature Reviews
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A