Improving elementary mathematics education in Nicaragua : an experimental study of the impact of textbooks and radio on achievement

me eanelusicas aad views expressed i n this paper are rhfase o f rhe author scd do aac aetessar81y ref %ccf chase sf ehe VcsrEd Bank Croup. The paper 1% s dnaf e f o r ddscuasdan; please do not c i r t vd kbauc f?te auchara* p$m.lssl~n. Deac T. Jamison, DIEBIR! Barbra JearBe, 5 N SeapfPaw P O Heyssemra, E X Rlaus Calde, Stanford Us:uatsity ROC have h e n undertaken, however, were dr nor Isbedded I n the Jadnc USAtD-Sicirs~uaM4aisct~OF Mocaedsa Xadio Y~thezrclclcaR o $ect , supportad in part by a conchace (AID1Q4/ta-C-73-403 h s m the Cniced States Agency kaue*:et, those of the auc3sss and do not neeessardlg seflech chose of any of t5e scppoeting agencies. The nuthero also sqsh ro thank Jameefne F r i e d and Juan Jose :lonre:egrs for r C ~~B I I~C ~ I S UCD ~rhe~vor'k ~ Q B reported here. .h       w 1 0 FuCier T b I k d IaquajeamSh + - I - 0l;anbvankh Grade 3 achevwne . tlrn 'r 5 1 h m n tt9m htakzys~ lPl3 W0msa? , W m - + ?labond W ErspLsh. math. probabrlity cens5s . ow: raonce. b;ldor/. =ample; n = ~ d 9-3'aF-W. %P& GroZa 7 ?la*&nal ter3 Recul!: ztrongc-r m Enql~*J.mal*, for E~glishthan gecaral k ~ o c l & g c maL9 or general Ravanr Pras,-re:=we knorrledge; Ma!rrcec used 3s random wmple ot rtnlrFj mconlrd pr~nar/%!ools ~n 9 C~slnctz ----._I--------------------------------------        by sr~pae'sfrr~r;.personnel during tha schaal year. Vfs:s% t o check spl Lplezeoeacion would have to be aad~by praJacc parsonrrab and 43saulaisq - cheiw purpose, w u l d bo d%fdPcruPc. Tbua. Y ! B $ ~ S ma" t o 16hec4 an 1 . irrpleaencation could bs exwcted so ilsfluaarce shrqwglw the 4eqrae cs h i c h reaehera wad the radio 1essons or rhs :@xs%oo'ks. As a conprs?lss, the project planned to o a k an@ surprise v i s i t CQ aaek ela%% nssl~nedCQ cha rexhbeek treatment to deromiae &ar)?as she bo,~eDks%*are$*if19 used. Pawt:er, C ~ I BV ~ B B I Bwe@woc eede tteasasa izot pl%tfeuPtumsbl st the weeks or school. Pmt-asts uera scheduled to be adndnbsecsed in the last three V ~ C ~ S 08 school but were g i v e 2 r w ue~knoetly because thcrc I l% erare rumors chat ~ c h o o Lwould clom @arbp.l tests war@ ~dnislaeered A l by project ~ r a f hncabaes. not by c8assroaa teachers. To ndadafze -fatPation h procedures taped i n s t m c t b o c s were use3 hot the oost tests. Tius. a11 scudenss heard the sane dnscrwtclons and cinfnq for the rests :iot a l l studeczs owre tested- ft: order to reduce c o ~ y l n ~ ~ . when a classro~nwas ~-~;tetcrowded r e s t ad.adnistratoz% were Insrsmcrci CU excuse students usinn a s%-sternntic~rotedurarchat Pa-x each c?afId an eauzl flrrc~tna:isits in :?I@ sku?ea: >&pulacLon o~ .,;r,rntes: ;nape iprpf:ter;t can hc ,~:cr:iu:r.i Cn my 3: si.:cr~b factors: Lase ec~,istr,liricn,drg-p?:?~ 1 ~ 3 ~ .    13 Table 3 Nun5ers of Classes and Ssudcnrs Tested Hwber ~b hrnber of atdsnsa rshudenes tasted reacsd gsr elas% oar class --I -w--ww- Nar&ar of ?lumB@rof Croup cfasses )ken claaeas Wean 1U-CI-UI.DI--~----U-w--w--~---w-~-w---w------w--..----- Radio 47 23.6 5.3 4 7 19.6 7.4 ~ U I I I - . U 1 - - U I - . ) - - ) ) - U - - - - - - - W - - . I-..---UI-w----ww ---.--w----- Rural 46 20 3 45 17.4 5.6 - :tote. h e urban radio class uas not pretested; one rural radio class was not posttested.    Reqression of Freament War%aSBes on Class :dean Posetest Seare ----------I____----mMI---------------_--- variabla -B - t Constant 31-02 --n - 19ore. 06. Tke MDBO end m.XT regression cseffbcfents ate vdth respect to the control group, the variable eB??i%Ot having been oaitlted from the regression.    Interaction of Urban and Treatment Variables . Dependent Variable: ?sstssst %eqresslon runs ~ ~ - ~ 1 w ~ w ~ w - - - ~ ~ ~ I C I I 1 - w w m - w ~ ~ ~ ~ w A3ainac rural Aqninat urban control control --w---- -wwwww-I----w ?lubshas of iso ---Loeat - Ircac%nc elassas -sS -t -R 6 0 1 . . . - 0 w ~ ~ ~ ~ w ~ ~ ~ a a ~ - w m ~ ~ - w - - - w - w - w w ~ - ~ w - - - - - - - - ~ w ~ ~ ~ BRE Constant    relatively 1 w lcvela of &ucatiaa) i n clnsparls~nd o h ah? u n d f ~ m l y adnlnfsterad, hlqh-quality r ~ d d olesaslns w!aic'tP mSs3ied Be3rn43a7 prdnelplas suck as active re~pondiw;, immediate BcleJback about ansvars, mi3 e ~ r a f u I . ttsfng and sysrenshdc r@viswof past Btrssasas. The h h a d e ~ f f aa ~ z ~ l l eBy d skis sisarstion are bnter@sh%ng: The use @sF radio as a Je1%;..erry mdlun eakaa psssihla stnndaoa42zad d@livisry of Barsso?rsl, bate the jsadeqtsqlcal arnljis sf t h lessons enn be no betbpr Ohan b h d a s i ~ nand eontent of &at ~ ~ % % crawsslcted. On tho otk@rhand, teacher8 e m u3e texkbssk~P D Q P ~ Yor wall, and hl'm eha potential for n~kknahiqta1y a f f ~ e t l vYLO of even ~ e have netad, textbwkte are tar tram m i v s r s a l In IOU-ineons coumtties, a d wltbo decision to Lncrease LFielr evarllabilhry has cost and logfatfcal Ioplicatlans thse can be subsennePaL for BinraccLntly pressed ministries EE d ~ c a t l a n . ~ 71ku?l, rrsaarch i n t o tba extent 0: cepnlkivbc gafas that could be expected htm tacreas~di~~7estaent tex~i)001LShas in fmadiate poldcy relevance for low-incame countries - Our prdacbpal purpose in chis papah has Seen to cxn7lne exper5wencaPLy u%cel~et pestuistccbn of tlexs%oob can result L W a ,pedago~.ieaLly significant iaptovemenc La school qual:ty Ln an caavlsonnent w\ere an adequace supply of texcs 3s Backing. Ve c o n t l ~ d ethae It can. 2 - - - s . desLp,nd, can do seen Dore for Ln-school ?nal& inprwiment rhm :an I the pro;pfskan of 6exebmks. Ilt che p r w i s i o n of zextboot-9 is a ;?ore stealghrfor*ard operation, 50th BoqLsr'if~lily and In LBTTR of t h e 1e32315 na2e on ski1led project eo.Imaqencn6; Foe chis reasaa, da an?,;! circ*ltstansres  expanding the supply od a e x t b m h w i l l be a satarc and mere Jarre m y of spbtalnlprg the dcslred results. DFga~~csse,tlnit~equestion rmadas whet\er either radio sr rextbofilka contain wuEfitiene porawsi%11for c'los%w~the           S P ~ c s ~ n sJ., , 8 Astoy, S. Slchosline & de7iel,o~nene? 'Students & --- workers in Tunisia. VnpuSliehed nanuaeript, Haward Wni1rt!raity, Department o f %Iconohsics, 1972. Snart, M. The k n s u Tfees: Self-esde Ltt~cacy. Devel@a~-a?se a m u n i e ~ t ~ ~ n C - @ Report, 1978, 2!, \ 4. I I Suppes, P., Searle, 8.. & tcriend, J. The Xad%o Hacheh?tl,ca Pr~daet: f Sicaraaua, 1976-1977. Stanford, Ca1Ct.r 3rentosail BBn%versi~y, Institute Per Pbthanarical Scudiso In tha Socleb Sciences, 1918. Thorndlks, I. t. ReaBinnp emsrehsnelsn $n 15 cowarerlaa. Saw York: Halsced Press, 1373. Viley, B. E. Anorhre hour. anocher day: Oanmticy oP ipclaooltna, a gocant path for policy. In BA. J. Semi, 3. fa. OOnuaar, L D. t. Fenthemen Academic Press. 1986. WLley, D. E., 6 brwlsehfagar, A. Explosion af a wytA: Quaaticy oh sehsoling and exposure to inrstructfoa, =ajot ducatbonal vehicles. Educatfonal Researcher. 1974, 1.1-12. Wolbf, L. % children I e d l first ~ r a d ein &fo ~ r e n i edo $01: rnnlfsations - " I for pcaPicy end research. 2io de fearieto: United States A~eneyfor IC Toe World Bank. Educar%on sector patc-: ~r3.r. i'rrhioqron, D.C. : Th* VorPd Bank, 1980.(a) Vsttd Bank, 8980. ( 5 )  [A & 5y the nurnkr lndlcaras rhra paper is Bank-eonIlQeatla~ sr sthervisa seacsncccd.] Suaan 8. Cecbraae, m e Eeoaeaica oP Pert ll i c y vlrh Exesplas Srea Astan. February 1981. Richard Sabot, 4r a1. , "Cogeiciur Sklllr: Their Oeramiaancs an$ tntlurncts sa Urnlrqp La Tva Pear Urban Ecoeoalaa"". Pebruaty 1981. %or. F aJarolsoa, $t al ,ntxtprwdmg Elementory Mathaipilticm ~YWCIQ~ ta Hlearagur M ~ p a r i ~ n r Study of rho hpaer of Parbooks e l and Radto on Athiavam~r". arch 5931.