About
This study in Pakistan, led by Harvard University, examines how tech-enabled guidance for parents and teachers influences children’s learning, using randomised control methods to measure impact. The trial (Feb 2022–Aug 2026), conducted in partnership with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is still underway, with the team in their write-up phase.
Key Findings
Although the study is ongoing, early observations indicate that teacher engagement remains a challenge despite generally positive attitudes towards digital personalised learning. Initial qualitative and quantitative data show mixed results on intervention effectiveness. Early findings emphasise the importance of supportive environments in enabling the uptake of digital learning approaches.
Bridging the Gap
The Challenge
Many schools and teachers in marginalised communities face structural barriers to engaging fully with digital personalised learning (DPL). Evidence on effective approaches to scale low-cost, tech-enabled learning support in both home and school settings is limited.
Why It Matters
Understanding how parents, teachers, and schools can be supported to use DPL tools is essential for improving learning outcomes. The study seeks to identify which delivery models and enabling conditions best support effective, scalable implementation in Pakistan.
How this Work Aims to Address It
The study tests three approaches through a large-scale randomised control trial covering over 2,700 schools, both public and private. These approaches focus on home-led learning, school-led learning, and customised informational inputs on student progress. A design-based implementation research approach is used to iteratively refine the application and assess how different actors contribute to learning gains.
Objective
This randomised controlled trial (RCT), working closely with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, examines the key pathways to home- and school-based facilitation of low-cost DPL at scale. This study addresses gaps in evidence around the implementation of personalised learning, facilitated by actors at both home and school, and how the support of those actors contributes to learning gains, and demonstrates potential for scalability.
The Research Questions
- Is there an information failure that inhibits learning progress? Do actors know enough about child learning levels and possible learning activities they could utilise to enhance their child’s learning? Does alleviating this failure boost learning, and by how much and at what cost?
- Are actors able to deploy information on the child’s learning gaps and learning activities, to better guide the child’s learning? If not, is there a “guidance” failure? Does alleviating this failure boost learning, and by how much and at what cost?
- Are school-based and home-based actors differentially affected by the above failures? Is the impact of addressing them, and costs of adopting them, differential across these types of actors?
- Are school-based and home-based actors complements, substitutes or have separable and independent effects in helping children learn?
Study Design and Methodology
This is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with significant Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) components, allowing the team to iterate on and refine the application design throughout the study. The experiment has three arms:
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Home-led DPL
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School-led DPL
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Customised informational inputs on learning progress (test scores and relevant content)
The sample will cover 2,700 schools, split evenly between public and private, all within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Timeline of Activities
November 2021 – January 2022
Inception phase
Development of methodology, research design, and work plan
January-May 2022
Baseline
Data collection for the baseline of the study
May-June 2022
Sandboxes
Design-based implementation research collaboration with partners in Ghana to rapidly iterate on the implementation models and variations of nudges messages
The Importance of the Results
The study’s findings are notable in demonstrating the structural barriers to widespread engagement with digital teacher professional development in marginalised communities, despite the enthusiasm and positive attitudes of teachers. The early-stage results demonstrate the importance of the enabling environment in facilitating widespread adoption of DPL.
Implications for Policy and Practice
There are likely to be significant policy implications from this study, helped by the close connection between the research team, CERP, and the Pakistan Ministry, but the details are not yet clear as the work is ongoing.
Study Team
- Christina Brown, Co-Investigator (University of Chicago)
- Tahir Andrabi, Co-Principal Investigator (Pomona College)
- Asim Khwaja, Principal Investigator (Harvard University)
- Isabel Macdonald, Co-Investigator (Lab for Inclusive FinTech, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley)
- Julia Ladics Collins, Senior Research Manager
Previous contributors to this study:
- Akanksha Bapna
- Katy Jordan
Key Partners
