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How to Improve Teaching Practice?: An Experimental Comparison of Centralized Training and In-Classroom Coaching

Author

Listed:
  • Jacobus Cilliers
  • Brahm Fleisch
  • Cas Prinsloo
  • Stephen Taylor

Abstract

We experimentally compare two modes of in-service professional development for South African public primary school teachers. In both modes teachers received the same learning materials and daily lesson plans, aligned to the official literacy curriculum. Students exposed to two years of the program improved their reading proficiency by 0.12 standard deviations if their teachers received centralized training, compared to 0.24 if their teachers received in-class coaching. Classroom observations reveal that teachers were more likely to split students into smaller reading groups, which enabled individualized attention and more opportunities to practice reading. Results vary by class size and baseline student reading proficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacobus Cilliers & Brahm Fleisch & Cas Prinsloo & Stephen Taylor, 2020. "How to Improve Teaching Practice?: An Experimental Comparison of Centralized Training and In-Classroom Coaching," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(3), pages 926-962.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:55:y:2020:i:3:p:926-962
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0618-9538R1
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    File URL: http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/55/3/926
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    Cited by:

    1. Jason T. Kerwin & Rebecca L. Thornton, 2021. "Making the Grade: The Sensitivity of Education Program Effectiveness to Input Choices and Outcome Measures," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(2), pages 251-264, May.
    2. Buhl-Wiggers, Julie & Kerwin, Jason T. & Muñoz-Morales, Juan & Smith, Jeffrey & Thornton, Rebecca, 2024. "Some children left behind: Variation in the effects of an educational intervention," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 243(1).
    3. Spencer, Noah, 2024. "Comprehensive early literacy policy and the “Mississippi Miracle”," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Amaro Da Costa Luz Carneiro,Pedro Manuel & Cruz-Aguayo,Yyannu & Intriago,Ruthy & Ponce,Juan & Schady,Norbert Rudiger & Schodt,Sarah, 2022. "When Promising Interventions Fail : Personalized Coaching for Teachers in a Middle-Income Country," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9926, The World Bank.
    5. Blimpo, Moussa P. & Pugatch, Todd, 2021. "Entrepreneurship education and teacher training in Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    6. Juan F. Castro & Paul Glewwe & Ricardo Montero, 2019. "Work With What You’ve Got: Improving Teachers’ Pedagogical Skills at Scale in Rural Peru," Working Papers 158, Peruvian Economic Association.
    7. Berlinski, Samuel & Giannola, Michele & Toppeta, Alessandro, 2026. "Effective Families or Effective Schools? Experimental Evidence on Fostering Children's Numeracy," IZA Discussion Papers 18485, IZA Network @ LISER.
    8. Bellue, Suzanne & Bouguen, Adrien & Gurgand, Marc & Munier, Valerie & Tricot, André, 2024. "When Effective teacher training falls short in the classroom: Evidence from an experiment in primary schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    9. Aymo Brunetti & Konstantin Büchel & Martina Jakob & Ben Jann & Daniel Steffen, 2021. "Inadequate Teacher Content Knowledge and What to Do About It: Evidence from El Salvador," University of Bern Social Sciences Working Papers 41, University of Bern, Department of Social Sciences.
    10. Cilliers, Jacobus & Fleisch, Brahm & Kotze, Janeli & Mohohlwane, Mpumi & Taylor, Stephen, 2022. "The Challenge of Sustaining Effective Teaching: Spillovers, Fade-out, and the Cost-effectiveness of Teacher Development Programs," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    11. Kotze, Janeli & Fleisch, Brahm & Taylor, Stephen, 2019. "Alternative forms of early grade instructional coaching: Emerging evidence from field experiments in South Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 203-213.
    12. Tumen, Semih & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Wahba, Jackline, 2021. "Training Teachers for Diversity Awareness: Impact on School Attendance of Refugee Children," IZA Discussion Papers 14557, IZA Network @ LISER.
    13. Julie Schaffner & Paul Glewwe & Uttam Sharma, 2025. "Why Programs Fail: Lessons for Improving Public Service Quality from a Mixed-Methods Evaluation of an Unsuccessful Teacher Training Program in Nepal," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 39(2), pages 473-496.
    14. Juan F. Castro & Paul Glewwe & Alexandra Heredia‐Mayo & Stephanie Majerowicz & Ricardo Montero, 2025. "Can teaching be taught? Improving teachers' pedagogical skills at scale in rural Peru," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 16(1), pages 185-233, January.
    15. Rodriguez-Segura, Daniel, 2022. "A closer look at reading comprehension: Experimental evidence from Guatemala," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    16. Jacobus Cilliers & Isaac M. Mbiti & Andrew Zeitlin, 2021. "Can Public Rankings Improve School Performance?: Evidence from a Nationwide Reform in Tanzania," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 56(3), pages 655-685.
    17. K. Kougias & E. Sardianou & A. Saiti, 2023. "Attitudes and Perceptions on Education for Sustainable Development," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 425-445, March.
    18. Fleisch, Brahm & Schöer, Volker, 2023. "Storybooks in hand: A randomised control trial of a classroom library model," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    19. Kika,Jesal Chandrakant & Crouch,Luis A. & Dulvy,Elizabeth Ninan & Thulare,Tshegofatso Desdemona, 2022. "Early Grade Reading in South Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 172983, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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