Publication: When Do In-service Teacher Training and Books Improve Student Achievement?: Experimental Evidence from Mongolia
Date
2015-11
ISSN
Published
2015-11
Author(s)
Abstract
This study presents evidence from a
randomized control trial (RCT) in Mongolia on the impact of
in-service teacher training and books, both as separate
educational inputs and as a package. The study tests for the
complementarity of inputs and non-linearity of returns from
investment in education as measured by students test scores
in five subjects. It takes advantage of a national-scale RCT
conducted under the Rural Education and Development project.
The results suggest that the provision of books, in addition
to teacher training, raises student achievement
substantially. However, teacher training and books weakly
improve test scores when provided individually. Students
whose teachers have received training and whose classrooms
have acquired books improved their cumulative score (totaled
across five tests) by 34.9 percent of a standard deviation,
relative to a control group. Students treated only with
books improved their total score by 20.6 percent of a
standard deviation relative to a control group of students.
On the other hand, extra teacher training did not have a
statistically significant effect on the total test score. In
addition, providing both inputs jointly improved test scores
in most subjects, which was not the case when either input
was provided individually. This study sheds light on the
relevance of supplementing teacher training schemes with
appropriate teaching materials in resource-poor settings.
The policy implication is that isolated education
investments, in settings where complementary inputs are
missing, could deliver minimal or no return.
Citation
“Fuje, Habtamu; Tandon, Prateek. 2015. When Do In-service Teacher Training and Books Improve Student Achievement?: Experimental Evidence from Mongolia. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7485. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23446 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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