Publication: Can Computers Help Students Learn?
Date
2011-01
ISSN
Published
2011-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Policymakers and development experts
seeking to improve the quality of education are interested
in the role technology can play. Not only do they want to
use technology to directly aid learning, but they also want
to ensure that students in developing countries - and poor
communities everywhere - get the same exposure, and same
education benefit, from technology as do their counterparts
in wealthier parts of the world. Bringing computers into the
schoolroom is seen by experts as one way to do this. But
just making technology available may not be enough.
Policymakers and development experts need to know how to
ensure the technology is used effectively. To assist
educators, policymakers and education experts understand how
technology may boost the quality of education; the World
Bank supported a two-year study of a program in Colombia
that places computers in public schools. The study failed to
find that the computers led to any measurable increase in
student test scores. Researchers suggested this could be
because teachers and students mainly used the computers to
learn how to use computers, instead of using them as a part
of the teaching process. The results do not mean that
computers and other information and communications
technologies cannot raise educational quality. But it does
offer a cautionary note to those seeking to increase the
availability of such technology tools: being able to access
technology is not always enough - people may also need
training in how to use the technology to reach the stated
educational goals.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2011. Can Computers Help Students Learn?. From Evidence to Policy; No. 4. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10455 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Report Series
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
-
PublicationKenya: Can Scripted Schooling Improve Learning?(Washington, DC, 2022-10)Before the COVID pandemic, more than half of children in low and middle-income countries suffered from learning poverty: they either were out of school or failed to learn to read with comprehension by age 10. At the same time, numerous studies have documented serious challenges related to the quality of education services, particularly for those serving poor students. In a country like Kenya, for example, teachers exhibit low levels of content and pedagogical knowledge. Previous research has shown that highly structured teaching guides could improve literacy, but scripted lessons are not without critics, who worry that teachers will not be able to adapt content to student’s needs. In places where teachers may be less prepared to tailor high quality lessons to their students, however, scripting may offer a way to standardize a minimum level of quality at scale.
-
PublicationRwanda: Can Parenting Programs Improve Child Development and Prevent Violence Against Women and Children?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11)Children need a safe, nurturing, healthy, and stimulating environment to thrive and reach their full potential. But millions of children living in poverty don’t receive enough stimulation or good nutrition in their first years of life, and poverty also makes them more likely to experience neglect and violence in the home. Domestic violence, however, is rarely addressed in programs promoting young children’s development, which also typically focus on mothers, with little attention on fathers. Previous research suggests home-based parenting programs can lead to positive improvements in children’s brain development. Can these programs be adapted to address family violence as well Can these services be effectively delivered through government social safety net programs which often target poor, vulnerable families
-
PublicationIndia: Can We Make Parenting Programs More Cost-Effective?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-07)In the first years of life, all children need healthy food, a clean environment, and stimulation to thrive and reach their full developmental potential. However, poverty prevents millions of young children in low- and middle-income countries from receiving adequate nutrition and stimulation. As a result, many disadvantaged children’s brain development lags behind that of their well-off peers, which can have lifelong consequences. Previous research from low-income settings has found that encouraging parents to play and interact more with their children can improve children’s brain development, with impacts that can last into adulthood. Delivering these parenting programs at scale and in a cost-effective manner, however, has been a challenge, in part because some of the most successful programs have been delivered through intensive and relatively costly home-based programs.
-
PublicationArmenia: Increasing Preventive Screening for Non-Communicable Diseases in Armenia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04)More people around the world are dying from noncommunicable diseases than ever before. These diseases, which include cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and heart disease, prematurely kill more than 15 million people between ages 30 and 69 each year. Many of these health conditions also make individuals more susceptible to severe forms of other diseases like Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study targeted adults between the ages of 35 and 68 in Armenia who had not been screened in the preceding year. The baseline data suggests this population was not economically secure: half of participants responded that their income was sufficient for basic family needs, such as food, clothing, and utilities, but not enough for big purchases like a car, while 35 percent responded that their income is sufficient for everyday food but not for clothes and other basic needs. More than half of those in the study were unemployed. This research finds that conditional incentives and personalized invitations can substantially increase screening for diabetes and hypertension for those who haven’t been recently screened. Further research may be needed to evaluate these interventions at scale.
-
PublicationRwanda: Can Performance Pay for Teachers Improve Students’ Learning?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-01)Performance pay for teachers generates debate. Proponents argue that many school systems have low levels of accountability and advocate incentivizing teachers by linking their pay to either their own efforts or their students’ learning. Critics, however, raise concerns that performance pay attracts people to the teaching workforce who are in it for the money and can diminish the intrinsic motivation to teach among teachers already in classrooms.