A Country-Level Research Review: EdTech in Tanzania

Proctor, Jamie; Koomar, Saalim; Bapna, Akanksha

doi:10.5281/zenodo.4618376

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Apps deployed in out-of-school settings need to prioritise ease of navigation through the content to encourage and motivate independent learning by novice users. This is important even when installing tablets in school settings within LMICs, as there are often low teacher-to-pupil ratios and large class sizes (Jordan et al, 2021). Hence, apps that encompass pedagogical features that promote independent learning are preferable for children to maximise their learning experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills

Huntington

Goulding

Pitchford

2023

Brit J Educational Tech

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Interactive apps are commonly used to support the acquisition of foundational skills. Yet little is known about how pedagogical features of such apps affect learning outcomes, attainment and motivation—particularly when deployed in lower‐income contexts, where educational gains are most needed. In this study, we analyse which app features are most effective in supporting the acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy skills. We compare five apps developed for the Global Learning XPRIZE and deployed to 2041 out‐of‐school children in 172 remote Tanzanian villages. A total of 41 non‐expert participants each provided 165 comparative judgements of the five apps from the competition, across 15 pedagogical features. Analysis and modelling of these 6765 comparisons indicate that the apps created by the joint winners of the XPRIZE, who produced the greatest learning outcomes over the 15‐month field trial, shared six pedagogical features—autonomous learning, motor skills, task structure, engagement, language demand and personalisation. Results demonstrate that this combination of features is effective at supporting learning of foundational skills and has a positive impact on educational outcomes. To maximise learning potential in environments with both limited resources and deployment opportunities, developers should focus attention on this combination of features, especially for out‐of‐school children in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Interactive apps are becoming common to support foundational learning for children both in and out of school settings. The Global Learning XPRIZE competition demonstrates that learning apps can facilitate learning improvements in out‐of‐school children living in sub‐Saharan Africa. To understand which app features are most important in supporting learning in these contexts, we need to establish which pedagogical features were shared by the winning apps. What this paper adds Effective learning of foundational skills can be achieved with a range of pedagogical features. To maximise learning, apps should focus on combining elements of autonomous learning, motor skills, task structure, engagement, language demand and personalisation. Free Play is not a key pedagogical feature to facilitate learning within this context. Implications for practice and/or policy When developing learning apps with primary‐aged, out‐of‐school children in low‐income contexts, app developers should try to incorporate the six key features associated with improving learning outcomes. Governments, school leaders and parents should use these findings to inform their decisions when choosing an appropriate learning app for children.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills

Huntington

Goulding

Pitchford

2023

Brit J Educational Tech

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“…Tanzania is in the top four countries in Africa in terms of the numbers of EdTech startups and companies (Crawfurd, 2020;Jordan et al, 2021). As presented in Section 3.…”

Section: Tanzania: Camfed and Worldreadermentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender equality and edtech: what are the barriers and enablers to enhance equity in and through edtech?

2023

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This background paper reviews the literature-based evidence, a set of household surveys and a series of practice-based interventions in relation to educational technologies (EdTech) and gender in the context of Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), with focused research in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.We illustrate that the main categories of factors to consider to design EdTech interventions to support girls' education are the access, use and content of EdTech. We introduce a framework that summarises the findings of this background paper and that can be used to consider these evidence-based factors throughout EdTech interventions.To design inclusive EdTech interventions to support girls' education these factors need to be explored through gender, political economy and intersectional lenses.The evidence for EdTech to support girls' education tends to point to barriers and enablers that need to be considered to design inclusive and egalitarian EdTech interventions (these are summarised in the framework introduced in Page 44). For example, in relation to the access of EdTech, we found that a barrier to inclusive and equitable quality education for all was that girls tended to be less likely than boys to own or be able to access mobile devices in LMICs. We also found that an enabler to improve EdTech access was to use EdTech for nudging and changing inequitable beliefs, although this needs to be carefully considered within context.There are barriers that need to be considered for all EdTech interventions aiming at supporting girls' education in LMICs. These are barriers related to reaching the most marginalised girls with EdTech, for example by ignoring political economy factors or the need for additional support for marginalised children (e.g financial, health or social support); neglecting to collect gender data throughout EdTech intervention; and disregarding the role of contextual inequalities, intersectionality and gender norms in supporting egalitarian learning through EdTech. While these factors are challenges for all educational interventions to some extent, there is a particular risk that without careful consideration, EdTech interventions could exacerbate existing 'digital divides' and increase inequity.

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A Country-Level Research Review: EdTech in Tanzania

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills

Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills

Gender equality and edtech: what are the barriers and enablers to enhance equity in and through edtech?

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