IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ris/smuesw/2021_002.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Teaching in the Right Context: Textbook Supply Program, Language, and Vocabulary Ability in Vietnam

Author

Listed:
  • Fujii, Tomoki

    (School of Economics, Singapore Management University)

  • Nakajima, Maki

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Xu, Sijia

    (East China University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

While past two decades have witnessed a remarkable educational progress in Vietnam, ethnic minority children consistently lagged behind ethnic majority children in academic performance. The government of Vietnam has stepped up efforts to assist ethnic minority students in their learning by lowering the linguistic and cultural barriers they face. Among such efforts is the textbook supply program, and we examine its impact on the learning of children proxied by vocabulary test. We apply difference-in-differences estimation to four rounds of the Young Lives data between 2006 and 2015 in order to investigate how the textbook supply program narrowed the gap between the ethnic minority and majority over time. We show that the textbook supply program became more effective in narrowing the ethnic gap as the education policy in Vietnam became reoriented towards ethnic minority children. We also conduct a causal mediation analysis to explore the relevance of behavioural response through the change in time use. The result of this analysis suggests that increased study time is possibly a moderate mediator through which the textbook supply program helps narrow the ethnic gap in the test score only for the young cohort over and above the direct impact from the textbook program. This paper therefore alludes to the importance of delivering carefully designed materials for the target group to bring about meaningful behavioral changes. It also corroborates the findings from the recent literature on teaching at the right level.

Suggested Citation

  • Fujii, Tomoki & Nakajima, Maki & Xu, Sijia, 2021. "Teaching in the Right Context: Textbook Supply Program, Language, and Vocabulary Ability in Vietnam," Economics and Statistics Working Papers 2-2021, Singapore Management University, School of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:ris:smuesw:2021_002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2469/
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kuecken, Maria & Valfort, Marie-Anne, 2013. "When do textbooks matter for achievement? Evidence from African primary schools," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 119(3), pages 311-315.
    2. McManus, Walter S, 1985. "Labor Market Costs of Language Disparity: An Interpretation of Hispanic Earnings Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 818-827, September.
    3. Abhijit Banerjee & Rukmini Banerji & James Berry & Esther Duflo & Harini Kannan & Shobhini Mukerji & Marc Shotland & Michael Walton, 2017. "From Proof of Concept to Scalable Policies: Challenges and Solutions, with an Application," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(4), pages 73-102, Fall.
    4. Arouri, Mohamed & Ben-Youssef, Adel & Nguyen, Cuong Viet, 2019. "Ethnic and racial disparities in children's education: Comparative evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 503-514.
    5. Arouri, Mohamed & Ben-Youssef, Adel & Nguyen, Cuong Viet, 2019. "Ethnic and racial disparities in children's education: Comparative evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 503-514.
    6. Tomoki Fujii, 2018. "Has the development gap between the ethnic minority and majority groups narrowed in Vietnam?: Evidence from household surveys," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(8), pages 2067-2101, August.
    7. Chiswick, Barry R & Miller, Paul W, 1995. "The Endogeneity between Language and Earnings: International Analyses," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(2), pages 246-288, April.
    8. Mehtabul Azam & Aimee Chin & Nishith Prakash, 2013. "The Returns to English-Language Skills in India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(2), pages 335-367.
    9. Alan Duncan & Astghik Mavisakalyan, 2015. "Russian language skills and employment in the Former Soviet Union," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 23(3), pages 625-656, July.
    10. Ott Toomet, 2011. "Learn English, Not the Local Language! Ethnic Russians in the Baltic States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 526-531, May.
    11. Sabarwal, Shwetlena & Evans, David K. & Marshak, Anastasia, 2014. "The permanent input hypothesis : the case of textbooks and (no) student learning in Sierra Leone," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7021, The World Bank.
    12. Daniel O. Gilligan & Naureen Karachiwalla & Ibrahim Kasirye & Adrienne M. Lucas & Derek Neal, 2022. "Educator Incentives and Educational Triage in Rural Primary Schools," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(1), pages 79-111.
    13. Christian Dustmann & Francesca Fabbri, 2003. "Language proficiency and labour market performance of immigrants in the UK," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(489), pages 695-717, July.
    14. Paul W. Glewwe & Eric A. Hanushek & Sarah D. Humpage & Renato Ravina, 2011. "School Resources and Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2010," NBER Working Papers 17554, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Casale, Daniela & Posel, Dorrit, 2011. "English language proficiency and earnings in a developing country: The case of South Africa," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 385-393, August.
    16. van de Walle, Dominique & Gunewardena, Dileni, 2001. "Sources of ethnic inequality in Viet Nam," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 177-207, June.
    17. World Bank, 2009. "Country Social Analysis : Ethnicity and Development in Vietnam - Main Report," World Bank Publications - Reports 3094, The World Bank Group.
    18. Futoshi Yamauchi & Yanyan Liu, 2013. "Impacts of an Early Stage Education Intervention on Students' Learning Achievement: Evidence from the Philippines," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(2), pages 208-222, February.
    19. Sylvie Moulin & Michael Kremer & Paul Glewwe, 2009. "Many Children Left Behind? Textbooks and Test Scores in Kenya," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(1), pages 112-135, January.
    20. Nguyen, Hoa-Thi-Minh & Kompas, Tom & Breusch, Trevor & Ward, Michael B., 2017. "Language, Mixed Communes, and Infrastructure: Sources of Inequality and Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 145-162.
    21. Piper, Benjamin & Simmons Zuilkowski, Stephanie & Dubeck, Margaret & Jepkemei, Evelyn & King, Simon J., 2018. "Identifying the essential ingredients to literacy and numeracy improvement: Teacher professional development and coaching, student textbooks, and structured teachers’ guides," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 324-336.
    22. Paul Glewwe & Qihui Chen & Bhagyashree Katare, 2015. "What Determines Learning among Kinh and Ethnic Minority Students in Vietnam? An Analysis of the Round 2 Young Lives Data," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(3), pages 494-516, September.
    23. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2016. "Language and consumption," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 135-151.
    24. Fearon, James D, 2003. "Ethnic and Cultural Diversity by Country," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 195-222, June.
    25. Victor Ginsburgh & Shlomo Weber, 2016. "The Palgrave Handbook of Economics and Language," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/277408, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    26. Angrist, Joshua D & Lavy, Victor, 1997. "The Effect of a Change in Language of Instruction on the Returns to Schooling in Morocco," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 48-76, January.
    27. World Bank, 2009. "Country Social Analysis : Ethnicity and Development in Vietnam - Summary report," World Bank Publications - Reports 3093, The World Bank Group.
    28. Quang Trieu & Rukmalie Jayakody, 2019. "Ethnic Minority Educational Success: Understanding Accomplishments in Challenging Settings," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 663-701, September.
    29. Banerji, Rukmini & Chavan, Madhav, 2020. "A twenty-year partnership of practice and research: The Nobel laureates and Pratham in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    30. Wang, Haining & Smyth, Russell & Cheng, Zhiming, 2017. "The economic returns to proficiency in English in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 91-104.
    31. Isaac Mbiti & Karthik Muralidharan & Mauricio Romero & Youdi Schipper & Constantine Manda & Rakesh Rajani, 2019. "Inputs, Incentives, and Complementarities in Education: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1627-1673.
    32. Dustmann, Christian, 1994. "Speaking Fluency, Writing Fluency and Earnings of Migrants," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 7(2), pages 133-156.
    33. Katherine Eriksson, 2014. "Does the language of instruction in primary school affect later labour market outcomes? Evidence from South Africa," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 311-335, December.
    34. Alisher Aldashev & Alexander M. Danzer, 2020. "Linguistic Fragmentation at the Micro-Level: Economic Returns to Speaking the Right Language(s) in a Multilinguistic Society," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(12), pages 2308-2326, December.
    35. Bob Baulch & Truong Thi Kim Chuyen & Dominique Haughton & Jonathan Haughton, 2007. "Ethnic minority development in Vietnam," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(7), pages 1151-1176.
    36. Bob Baulch & Thi Minh Hoa Nguyen & Thi Thu Phuong Nguyen & Thai Hung Pham, 2009. "Ethnic Minority Poverty in Vietnam," World Bank Publications - Reports 28100, The World Bank Group.
    37. Christian Dustmann & Stephen Machin & Uta Schönberg, 2010. "Ethnicity and Educational Achievement in Compulsory Schooling," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 120(546), pages 272-297, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tomoki Fujii & Maki Nakajima & Sijia Xu, 2023. "Teaching in the right context: Textbook supply program, language, and learning," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 797-824, May.
    2. Antonio Di Paolo & Aysit Tansel, 2015. "Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 407-421, April.
    3. Wang, Haining & Smyth, Russell & Cheng, Zhiming, 2017. "The economic returns to proficiency in English in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 91-104.
    4. Jacek Liwiński, 2019. "The wage premium from foreign language skills," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 46(4), pages 691-711, November.
    5. Nguyen, Hoa-Thi-Minh & Kompas, Tom & Breusch, Trevor & Ward, Michael B., 2017. "Language, Mixed Communes, and Infrastructure: Sources of Inequality and Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 145-162.
    6. Hahm, Sabrina & Gazzola, Michele, 2022. "The Value of Foreign Language Skills in the German Labor Market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Antonio Di Paolo & Aysit Tansel, 2015. "Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 407-421, April.
    8. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2016. "Language and consumption," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 135-151.
    9. Huiyu Zhang & Ying Dai & Huimei Liu, 2021. "English Proficiency and Happiness: The Mediation of Income Satisfaction and Leisure Satisfaction and the Moderation of the National Economy," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    10. Xu, Chen & Liu, Xiao, 2023. "The economic value of language in China: How important is Mandarin proficiency in the Chinese labor market? A bounding approach," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    11. Sílvio Rendon, 2007. "The Catalan premium: language and employment in Catalonia," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 20(3), pages 669-686, July.
    12. Rajesh Ramachandran & Christopher Rauh, 2023. "The Imperium of the Colonial Tongue? Evidence on Language Policy Preferences in Zambia," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(1), pages 52-80.
    13. Lang Kevin & Siniver Erez, 2009. "The Return to English in a Non-English Speaking Country: Russian Immigrants and Native Israelis in Israel," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-30, November.
    14. Godoy, Ricardo & Karlan, Dean S. & Rabindran, Shanti & Huanca, Tomas, 2005. "Do modern forms of human capital matter in primitive economies? Comparative evidence from Bolivia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 45-53, February.
    15. Dovì, Max-Sebastian, 2019. "Does higher language proficiency decrease the probability of unemployment? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-11.
    16. Thanh-Tung Nguyen & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Ulrike Grote, 2020. "Credit and Ethnic Consumption Inequality in the Central Highlands of Vietnam," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 143-172, February.
    17. Tomoki Fujii, 2018. "Has the development gap between the ethnic minority and majority groups narrowed in Vietnam?: Evidence from household surveys," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(8), pages 2067-2101, August.
    18. Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt & Brian McCaig & Nguyen Hoa, 2018. "Program participation in a targeted land distribution program and household outcomes: evidence from Vietnam," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 41-74, March.
    19. Soh,Yew Chong & Del Carpio,Ximena Vanessa & Wang,Liang Choon, 2021. "The Impact of Language of Instruction in Schools on Student Achievement: Evidence from Malaysia Using the Synthetic Control Method," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9517, The World Bank.
    20. Saurabh Singhal & Ulrik Beck, 2015. "Ethnic disadvantage in Vietnam: Evidence using panel data," WIDER Working Paper Series 097, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ethnic minority; mediation; difference in differences; PPVT; Vietnam;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ris:smuesw:2021_002. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Cheong Pei Qi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sesmusg.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.