IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cde/cdewps/251.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Impact Of A Computer Based Adult Literacy Program On Literacy And Numeracy-Evidence From India

Author

Listed:
  • Ashwini Deshpande, Alain Desrochers, Christopher Ksoll, and Abu S. Shonchoy

    (Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India)

Abstract

With over 700 million illiterate adults in the world, many governments have implemented adult literacy programs across the world, although typically with low rates of success partly because the quality of teaching is low. One solution may lie in the standardization of teaching provided by computer-aided instruction. We present the first rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of a computer-based adult literacy program. A randomized control trial study of TARA Akshar Plus, an Indian adult literacy program, was implemented in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. We find large, significant impacts of this computer-aided program on literacy and numeracy outcomes. We compare the improvement in learning to that of other traditional adult literacy programs and conclude that TARA Akshar Plus is effective in increasing literacy and numeracy for illiterate adult women.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashwini Deshpande, Alain Desrochers, Christopher Ksoll, and Abu S. Shonchoy, 2016. "The Impact Of A Computer Based Adult Literacy Program On Literacy And Numeracy-Evidence From India," Working papers 251, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:cde:cdewps:251
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.cdedse.org/pdf/work251.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:wbk:wboper:9767 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2010. "The Credibility Revolution in Empirical Economics: How Better Research Design Is Taking the Con out of Econometrics," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(2), pages 3-30, Spring.
    3. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Shawn Cole & Esther Duflo & Leigh Linden, 2007. "Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 1235-1264.
    4. Fang Lai & Linxiu Zhang & Xiao Hu & Qinghe Qu & Yaojiang Shi & Yajie Qiao & Matthew Boswell & Scott Rozelle, 2013. "Computer assisted learning as extracurricular tutor? Evidence from a randomised experiment in rural boarding schools in Shaanxi," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 208-231, June.
    5. Card, David & Ibarrarán, Pablo & Villa, Juan Miguel, 2011. "Building in an Evaluation Component for Active Labor Market Programs: A Practitioner's Guide," IZA Discussion Papers 6085, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Duflo, Esther & Glennerster, Rachel & Kremer, Michael, 2008. "Using Randomization in Development Economics Research: A Toolkit," Handbook of Development Economics, in: T. Paul Schultz & John A. Strauss (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 61, pages 3895-3962, Elsevier.
    7. A. Colin Cameron & Jonah B. Gelbach & Douglas L. Miller, 2008. "Bootstrap-Based Improvements for Inference with Clustered Errors," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(3), pages 414-427, August.
    8. 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.
    9. Deshpande, Ashwani, 2011. "The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198072034.
    10. Duncan Thomas, 1990. "Intra-Household Resource Allocation: An Inferential Approach," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 25(4), pages 635-664.
    11. Senauer, Benjamin & Garcia, Marito, 1991. "Determinants of the Nutrition and Health Status of Preschool Children: An Analysis with Longitudinal Data," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(2), pages 371-389, January.
    12. repec:idb:brikps:58518 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Jenny C. Aker & Christopher Ksoll & Travis J. Lybbert, 2012. "Can Mobile Phones Improve Learning? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Niger," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 94-120, October.
    14. Strauss, John & Thomas, Duncan, 1995. "Human resources: Empirical modeling of household and family decisions," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 34, pages 1883-2023, Elsevier.
    15. Christina Paxson & Norbert Schady, 2007. "Cognitive Development among Young Children in Ecuador: The Roles of Wealth, Health, and Parenting," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 42(1).
    16. Daniel Ortega & Francisco Rodríguez, 2008. "Freed from Illiteracy? A Closer Look at Venezuela's Misión Robinson Literacy Campaign," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(1), pages 1-30, October.
    17. Gibson, John, 2001. "Literacy and Intrahousehold Externalities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 155-166, January.
    18. Lawrence Haddad, 1999. "The income earned by women: impacts on welfare outcomes," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 20(2), pages 135-141, March.
    19. Dubeck, Margaret M. & Gove, Amber, 2015. "The early grade reading assessment (EGRA): Its theoretical foundation, purpose, and limitations," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 315-322.
    20. Abadzi, Helen, 2003. "Teaching adults to read better and faster : results from an experiment in Burkina Faso," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3057, The World Bank.
    21. Blunch, Niels-Hugo, 2013. "Staying Alive: Adult Literacy Programs and Child Mortality in Rural Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 114-126.
    22. Maddox, Bryan, 2007. "Worlds Apart? Ethnographic Reflections on "Effective Literacy" and Intrahousehold Externalities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 532-541, March.
    23. Mo, Di & Swinnen, Johan & Zhang, Linxiu & Yi, Hongmei & Qu, Qinghe & Boswell, Matthew & Rozelle, Scott, 2013. "Can One-to-One Computing Narrow the Digital Divide and the Educational Gap in China? The Case of Beijing Migrant Schools," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 14-29.
    24. Niels-Hugo Blunch & Claus C. Pörtner, 2011. "Literacy, Skills, and Welfare: Effects of Participation in Adult Literacy Programs," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 60(1), pages 17-66.
    25. Haddad, Lawrence, 1999. "The income earned by women: impacts on welfare outcomes," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 135-141, March.
    26. Jane Hopkins & Carol Levin & Lawrence Haddad, 1994. "Women's Income and Household Expenditure Patterns: Gender or Flow? Evidence from Niger," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 76(5), pages 1219-1225.
    27. Basu, Kaushik & Narayan, Ambar & Ravallion, Martin, 2001. "Is literacy shared within households? Theory and evidence for Bangladesh," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(6), pages 649-665, December.
    28. Barrera-Osorio, Felipe & Linden, Leigh L., 2009. "The use and misuse of computers in education : evidence from a randomized experiment in Colombia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4836, The World Bank.
    29. repec:pri:cheawb:paxson_schady_childrenecuador.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    30. Diether Beuermann & Julian Cristia & Yyannu Cruz-Aguayo & Santiago Cueto & Ofer Malamud, 2012. "Home Computers and Child Outcomes: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru," Research Department Publications 4813, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    31. Kaushik Basu & Ambar Narayan & Martin Ravallion, 2001. "Is Knowledge Shared within Households? Theory and Evidence for Bangladesh," Working Papers 82, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
    32. Diether W. Beuermann & Julian Cristia & Santiago Cueto & Ofer Malamud & Yyannu Cruz-Aguayo, 2015. "One Laptop per Child at Home: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(2), pages 53-80, April.
    33. Benjamin Senauer & Marito Garcia & Elizabeth Jacinto, 1988. "Determinants of the Intrahousehold Allocation of Food in the Rural Philippines," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 70(1), pages 170-180.
    34. Diether Beuermann & Julian Cristia & Yyannu Cruz-Aguayo & Santiago Cueto & Ofer Malamud, 2012. "Home Computers and Child Outcomes: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru," Research Department Publications 4813, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bhardwaj, Sakshi & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2024. "Social identity and learning: Adult literacy program in India," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    2. 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.
    3. Aker, Jenny C. & Sawyer, Melita & Berry, James, 2024. "Making sense of the shapes: What do we know about literacy learning in adulthood?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    4. Thomas,Michael Stephen Charles & Knowland, Victoria C. P. & Rogers, Cathy, 2020. "The Science of Adult Literacy," Policy Research Working Paper Series 145579, The World Bank.
    5. Ashutosh Jha & Debashis Saha, 2022. "Mobile Broadband for Inclusive Connectivity: What Deters the High-Capacity Deployment of 4G-LTE Innovation in India?," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1305-1329, August.
    6. Long Yang & Haiyang Lu & Sangui Wang & Meng Li, 2021. "Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1065-1086, December.

    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. Bet, German & Cristia, Julián P. & Ibarrarán, Pablo, 2014. "The Effects of Shared School Technology Access on Students Digital Skills in Peru," IZA Discussion Papers 7954, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Cardim, Joana & Molina-Millán, Teresa & Vicente, Pedro C., 2023. "Can technology improve the classroom experience in primary education? An African experiment on a worldwide program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    3. Karthik Muralidharan & Abhijeet Singh & Alejandro J. Ganimian, 2019. "Disrupting Education? Experimental Evidence on Technology-Aided Instruction in India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(4), pages 1426-1460, April.
    4. 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.
    5. Naik, Gopal & Chitre, Chetan & Bhalla, Manaswini & Rajan, Jothsna, 2020. "Impact of use of technology on student learning outcomes: Evidence from a large-scale experiment in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    6. Hisaki Kono & Yasuyuki Sawada & Abu S. Shonchoy, 2016. "DVD-based Distance-learning Program for University Entrance Exams: Experimental Evidence from Rural Bangladesh," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-1027, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    7. Sabrin Beg & Waqas Halim & Adrienne M. Lucas & Umar Saif, 2022. "Engaging Teachers with Technology Increased Achievement, Bypassing Teachers Did Not," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(2), pages 61-90, May.
    8. Bulman, George & Fairlie, Robert W., 2015. "Technology and Education: Computers, Software, and the Internet," IZA Discussion Papers 9432, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Rosangela Bando & Francisco Gallego & Paul Gertler & Dario Romero, 2016. "Books or Laptops? The Cost-Effectiveness of Shifting from Printed to Digital Delivery of Educational Content," NBER Working Papers 22928, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Eric Bettinger & Robert Fairlie & Anastasia Kapuza & Elena Kardanova & Prashant Loyalka & Andrey Zakharov, 2023. "Diminishing Marginal Returns to Computer‐Assisted Learning," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(2), pages 552-570, March.
    11. Yue Ma & Robert W. Fairlie & Prashant Loyalka & Scott Rozelle, 2020. "Isolating the “Tech” from EdTech: Experimental Evidence on Computer Assisted Learning in China," NBER Working Papers 26953, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Kono, Hisaki & Sawada, Yasuyuki & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2016. "DVD-based distance-learning program for university entrance exams -- RCT experiments in rural Bangladesh," IDE Discussion Papers 580, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    13. 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.
    14. NAKAMURO Makiko & ITO Hirotake, 2020. "The Effect of Computer Assisted Learning on Children's Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Cambodia," Discussion papers 20074, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    15. Peter Bergman, 2020. "Nudging Technology Use: Descriptive and Experimental Evidence from School Information Systems," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 15(4), pages 623-647, Fall.
    16. Sally Murray, 2017. "New technologies create opportunities," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-156, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    17. Schultz, T. Paul, 2010. "Population and Health Policies," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 4785-4881, Elsevier.
    18. Nerea Gómez-Fernández & Mauro Mediavilla, 2018. "Do information and communication technologies (ICT) improve educational outcomes? Evidence for Spain in PISA 2015," Working Papers 2018/20, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    19. Pieter Joseph Sayer, 2018. "Access and Excess - The Effect of Internet Access on the Comsumption Decisions of the Poor," CSAE Working Paper Series 2018-18, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    20. 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.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F - International Economics
    • Z - Other Special Topics
    • I - Health, Education, and Welfare

    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:cde:cdewps:251. 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: Sanjeev Sharma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cdudein.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.