Inter-Program Additive Independence
RCTJournal Article
Policy planners often assume that implementing multiple educational interventions simultaneously produces multiplicative or synergistic learning gains beyond their individual effects.
Picture this
Running two distinct educational programs concurrently works like using two separate exercise machines at different times; each machine builds specific fitness, but using both does not multiply the energy burned per minute.
What the evidence says
The interaction coefficient between computer-assisted math learning and remedial instruction was -0.144 for math and -0.020 for total test scores, showing no statistically significant interaction or synergy.
- Who was studied
- N = 5,732 Grade 4 students across municipal primary schools in Vadodara, India during Year 2.
- How
- 2x2 factorial randomized controlled trial testing main effects and interaction effects of remedial tutoring and computer-assisted learning.
What to do
Evaluate educational programs independently rather than expecting compounding synergies when combining multiple interventions in the same school.
From the source
"The programs appear to have no interaction with each other: the coefficients on the interaction on the math and overall test score are negative and insignificant."
Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India