Integrating learning platforms within regular school time: experimental evidence from Chilean primary schools

Abstract

Despite the potential of learning platforms to improve educational outcomes in developing countries, transitioning their use from supplementary after-school activities to integrate their use during the regular school time has proven difficult. This paper presents results from a randomized evaluation of a bundled program employing an external coordinator to aid 4th grade teachers with the integration of a math learning platform that partially replaced regular school math instruction in Chile. Students in treatment classrooms experienced sizable gains in math achievement, scoring 0.27 standard deviations more than control students as measured in the national standardized exam. The program increased students’ preference for using technology in math instruction and students’ beliefs regarding the malleability of intelligence, while reducing preferences for teamwork. These findings suggest that the integration of the use of learning platforms during the regular school time can produce large gains in academic achievement and influence non-academic outcomes in developing countries.