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The Impact of Maternal Literacy and Participation Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India

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  • Rukmini Banerji
  • James Berry
  • Marc Shotland

Abstract

Using a randomized field experiment in India, we evaluate the effectiveness of adult literacy and parental involvement interventions in improving children's learning. Households were assigned to receive either adult literacy (language and math) classes for mothers, training for mothers on how to enhance their children's learning at home, or a combination of the two programs. All three interventions had significant but modest impacts on childrens math scores. The interventions also increased mothers' test scores in both language and math, as well as a range of other outcomes reflecting greater involvement of mothers in their children's education.

Suggested Citation

  • Rukmini Banerji & James Berry & Marc Shotland, 2017. "The Impact of Maternal Literacy and Participation Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 303-337, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:9:y:2017:i:4:p:303-37
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20150390
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Asadul Islam, 2017. "Parental Involvement in Education: Evidence from Field Experiments in Developing Countries," Monash Economics Working Papers 02-17, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    2. Deshpande, Ashwini & Desrochers, Alain & Ksoll, Christopher & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2017. "The Impact of a Computer-based Adult Literacy Program on Literacy and Numeracy: Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 451-473.
    3. Miaari, Sami H. & Lee, Ines, 2020. "Obstacles on the Road to School: The Impacts of Mobility Restrictions on Educational Performance," IZA Discussion Papers 13563, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Julia A. Barde & Juliana Walkiewicz, 2014. "Access to Piped Water and Human Capital Formation - Evidence from Brazilian Primary Schools," Discussion Paper Series 28, Department of International Economic Policy, University of Freiburg, revised Jul 2014.
    5. Hashibul Hassan & Asad Islam & Abu Siddique & Liang Choon Wang, 2021. "Telementoring and homeschooling during school closures: A randomized experiment in rural Bangladesh," Munich Papers in Political Economy 13, Munich School of Politics and Public Policy and the School of Management at the Technical University of Munich.
    6. Christophe J. Nordman & Smriti Sharma & Naveen Sunder, 2022. "Here Comes the Rain Again: Productivity Shocks, Educational Investments, and Child Work," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(3), pages 1041-1063.
    7. Eric Bettinger & Nina Cunha & Guilherme Lichand & Ricardo Madeira, 2020. "Are the effects of informational interventions driven by salience?," ECON - Working Papers 350, Department of Economics - University of Zurich, revised May 2021.
    8. Pooja Nakamura & Zelealem Leyew & Adria Molotsky & Varsha Ranjit & Kevin Kamto, 2023. "PROTOCOL: Language of instruction in schools in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), June.
    9. Alejandro J. Ganimian & Richard J. Murnane, 2014. "Improving Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: Lessons from Rigorous Impact Evaluations," NBER Working Papers 20284, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Clément de Chaisemartin & Jaime Ramirez-Cuellar, 2024. "At What Level Should One Cluster Standard Errors in Paired and Small-Strata Experiments?," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 193-212, January.
    11. Berlinski, Samuel & Busso, Matías & Dinkelman, Taryn & Martínez, Claudia, 2021. "Reducing Parent-School Information Gaps and Improving Education Outcomes: Evidence from High-Frequency Text Messages," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 11234, Inter-American Development Bank.
    12. Christopher Ksoll, Janny Aker, Danielle Miller, Karla C. Perez-Mendoza, and Susan L. Smalley, 2014. "Learning without Teachers? A Randomized Experiment of a Mobile Phone-Based Adult Education Program in Los Angeles - Working Paper 368," Working Papers 368, Center for Global Development.
    13. Nishant Chadha & Soma Wadhwa, 2018. "Impact of an Adult Literacy Programme on the Personal and Public Lives of Women," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 13(1), pages 82-111, April.
    14. James Berry & Rebecca Dizon-Ross & Maulik Jagnani, 2020. "Not Playing Favorites: An Experiment on Parental Fairness Preferences," Working Papers 2020-06, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    15. Patricia Justino & Marinella Leone & Pierfrancesco Rolla & Monique Abimpaye & Caroline Dusabe & Marie D Uwamahoro & Richard Germond, 2023. "Improving Parenting Practices for Early Child Development: Experimental Evidence from Rwanda," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 21(4), pages 1510-1550.
    16. Miaari, S. & Lee, I, 2020. "Obstacles on the Road to School: The Impacts of Mobility Restrictions on Educational Performance," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2074, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    17. Islam, Asad, 2019. "Parent–teacher meetings and student outcomes: Evidence from a developing country," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 273-304.
    18. Naveen Sunder, 2019. "Marriage Age, Social Status, and Intergenerational Effects in Uganda," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(6), pages 2123-2146, December.
    19. van Cappelle, Frank & Chopra, Vidur & Ackers, Jim & Gochyyev, Perman, 2021. "An analysis of the reach and effectiveness of distance learning in India during school closures due to COVID-19," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    20. Annika B. Bergbauer, 2019. "How Did EU Membership of Eastern Europe Affect Student Achievement?," ifo Working Paper Series 299, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    21. Natalie Obergruber, 2018. "Microeconometric Analysis of Individual and Institutional Determinants of Education and Occupational Choice," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 80.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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