Generating and Mobilizing Knowledge and Innovation in Education: Findings of Three Applied Research Projects on Innovative Interventions Across Seven Countries (75683)
Friday, 24 November 2023 09:00
Session: Session 1
Room: Room 704
Presentation Type: Panel Presentation
Significant progress is needed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030. We need more knowledge and evidence on how to scale effective initiatives that improve learning outcomes and understand why some interventions work better than others or show greater benefits in some contexts but not in others. For education systems to succeed, they need access to relevant evidence and the capacity to use available evidence to shape policies and practices. The Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a joint endeavour between the Global Partnership for Education and the International Development Research Centre that responds to these challenges. It funds applied research projects that generate knowledge, mobilize these to ensure they feed into national education policy and planning processes, and build capacity to address key educational challenges. This panel will present the findings of three such projects in seven countries in Asia. These projects studied innovative education interventions that include gender-inclusive pedagogy, programs for children out of school and at risk of dropping out including those with disabilities, and teacher professional development in low-resource settings. The projects collected qualitative and quantitative data using experimental design and participatory action research approaches to study the effectiveness and scalability of innovations. Some of their key findings include improved attendance rates, enhanced collaboration and support ecosystems, positive changes in teacher attitudes and self-efficacy translating to greater and inclusive student participation and learning; and the critical role of mentoring relationships for teachers to be able to adopt new and innovative teaching practices.
Effectiveness of Campaign Through Community Action Group and Extra-Curricular Activities on Students’ Attendance, Participation and Absenteeism
In Nepal a range of educational programs are being implemented for children not attending school and those at risk of dropping out. However, their effectiveness has not been fully understood. This study evaluated two interventions namely educational campaign and after-school programs/ extracurricular activities (ECA) to harness the evidence on what works and what does not work and the potentials for scaling their impact. It aimed to understand how these educational programs work, factors that determine their success, and effectiveness. The study was carried out in 18 public schools in three rural municipalities of Nepal using Randomized Controlled Trial. The study employed Difference-in-Differences (DID) technique to evaluate the impact of the interventions. The findings of the study revealed significant positive impacts from the interventions. The Campaign intervention, focusing on parental perceptions and involvement, resulted in a stronger sense of connection between parents and schools. Similarly, the ECA resulted in higher levels of student participation, enhanced academic performance, increased attendance rates, and a stronger emotional attachment to school. The findings emphasize the importance of investing in parental involvement initiatives and incorporating extracurricular activities to enhance students' educational experiences. Extracurricular activities play a crucial role in student development, but they need support from the school management and effective monitoring by education officers and local municipalities.
Educational Innovations for Out of School Children and Youth with Disabilities and at Risk of Dropping Out: A Mixed Methods Case Study in Bhutan
It is estimated that only 12% children with disabilities in Bhutan of school going age (6-18 years) are currently enrolled in schools and special institutes. Those in schools face significant barriers in learning and completing school and are at risk of dropping out. This case study looked at innovative interventions to support Out-of-School Children and Youth with Disabilities and at risk of dropping out (OOSCYD) in Bhutan. Twenty children and youth (8-20 years) with disabilities and two at risk of dropping out in two Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools and two Civil Society Organization (CSO) centers participated in this study. They were assessed to identify appropriate intervention and services tailored to their needs and interests. Intervention included activities for daily living skills, pre-vocational skills, functional literacy, numeracy, information technology, behavior management, and arts; that were conducted three to four days a week. A mixed methods case study research design was used to investigate the efficacy of interventions implemented over a year. Data was collected using a survey, semi-structured interviews with parents, school principals and center managers, and observations. Results were very positive and showed marked improvements in the participants despite the short duration of intervention. Furthermore, the collaborative nature of these initiatives has strengthened the overall support ecosystem for OOSCYD. This study shows that tailored interventions with synergized efforts of educational institutions, civil society, parents, and other stakeholders can make a positive difference in realizing the potentials of these marginalized individuals.
The Impact of Gender and Inclusive Pedagogies on Students’ Participation and Learning Achievement at Secondary Schools
This paper presents findings of a project on the impact of Gender and Inclusive Pedagogies (GIP) implemented across five countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Timor-Leste and Vietnam). GIP is a co-designed approach based on evidence of good practices in four of these countries. The project explored changes in students’ participation and learning achievement due to GIP implementation in secondary schools. The study used an experimental design with pre- and post-tests. The study was conducted in a total of 60 schools across five countries and also used similar number of schools in these countries as control group. A baseline study was conducted in both experimental and control schools prior to training of teachers in the experimental schools. Training manuals were developed, and training was provided in four tiers with gaps to allow implementation after each tier training. Additionally, school leaders from experimental schools were provided GIP related management and leadership training. An endline study was conducted following the GIP intervention. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire, in-depth Interviews of teachers, focus group discussion with students, and classroom observations using an observation checklist were collected from all schools. Results indicate improved attendance of irregular students, active participation in teaching-learning activities by all students - girls and boys including those with special needs, and significant progress in their learning achievement. The findings imply that using GIP approach in secondary school classroom can be an effective way to help ‘all’ children succeed but will require greater knowledge mobilization and capacity strengthening to benefit at greater scale.
Mentoring an Agent for Change in Collaborative Action Research Process
Teacher Professional Development (TPD) in South Asia has been mostly organised in the form of trainings and workshops. Often teachers find it difficult to implement innovative practices in the classroom due to lack of guidance and support from experienced and knowledgeable teachers within the school system. This was confirmed from the Landscape mapping study conducted on existing TPD practices of three South Asian Countries: Afghanistan, Maldives and Nepal. The study was part of a broader research on the intervention Multimodal Approach for Teacher Professional Development (MATPD) in low resource settings where capacity development opportunities to 45 South Asian Teacher Educator (SATE) Fellows across Afghanistan, Maldives and Nepal were provided through distance learning online courses and social learning opportunities from mentors and peers. The design of the intervention in MATPD involved the fellows to take on the role of a mentor as well as a mentee. In this paper we draw on participants' lived experiences of mentoring the teachers while conducting collaborative action research. A total of 45 participants from Afghanistan, Maldives and Nepal participated in conducting collaborative action research in their respective countries. One-on-one online interviews were conducted to understand the participants' experience of taking on a mentoring role for a collaborative action research. Findings revealed that the mentoring process can be an agent of change in helping teachers adopt new and innovative teaching practices. Mentoring as an element was found missing in establishing relationships in schools and in systems for teacher professional development in the South Asian countries.
Authors:
Sangay Jamtsho, International Development Research Centre, India
Binayak Krishna Thapa, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Karma Jigyel, Paro College of Education, Bhutan
Mohammad Ali Zinnah, Dhaka University, Bangladesh
Aishath Nasheeda, Villa College, Maldives
Dorji Thinley, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan
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