Private vs. Group Mentoring Modalities

In Simple Words

Group coaching functions like a shared study circle where one tutor answers questions for multiple students at once, whereas private assistance is a dedicated one-on-one tutoring session tailored entirely to an individual student's specific weaknesses.

Research question

Designing cost-effective active labor market policies requires evaluating whether resource-intensive private one-on-one coaching provides significant advantages over group-based assistance. Unclear cost-benefit tradeoffs complicate the scaling of post-training guidance for rural youth.

Participants

1,100 eligible jobseekers organized into 96 predefined clusters (24 clusters in group assistance, 24 clusters in private assistance) in Maharashtra, India.

Study Design

Four-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluating 3-month interventions delivered via WhatsApp group messages/calls versus individual messaging/calls.

Results

Empirical comparisons of employment rates and income outcomes between private and group modalities are forthcoming as the study evaluation is ongoing.

Takeaway

Pilot group-based messaging protocols before investing in one-on-one mentoring to identify optimal cost-efficiency thresholds.

Read alongside the research

Plain-English glossary

Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.

Randomized controlled trial

A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.

ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.

GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →

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