Young Researcher Workshop

Adaptive Versus Non-adaptive EdTech: Evidence from a Large-Scale RCT in Rural China

Speaker: Yue Ma, Social Science Research Scholar, Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions

EdTech, which includes online education, computer assisted learning (CAL), and remote instruction, has expanded rapidly in the last decade. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, the role of adaptive programs that can tailor learning experiences to individual users have received more attention than ever. Despite the popularity of these programs, however, rigorous, large-scale studies of their effectiveness do not exist. In this study, we examine whether the adaptive learning features of a CAL program are effective in improving student achievement in a developing setting. We analyze data from a field experiment of 8,647 students from 105 primary schools in rural China. Our empirical results show that neither adaptive nor non-adaptive CAL has an effect on student math scores. When we isolate the adaptive learning feature impact of CAL (versus non-adaptive CAL), we find null effects overall. Moreover, while non-adaptive CAL does have a small impact on the scores of mid-tercile students, adaptive CAL has no impact on the scores of students in any tercile. Interview findings suggest that outdated hardware, heavy teacher workloads, low student interest, and curriculum outpacing effects, among other factors, may explain the null effects of both adaptive and non-adaptive CAL. These results suggest that, in under-resourced contexts where these obstacles exist, both non-adaptive and adaptive Edtech may be ineffective learning tools, which has important implications for the continued, rapid expansion of EdTech throughout the world.

About the Workshops

The SCCEI Young Researcher Workshops are a bi-weekly series of presentations from scholars around campus who are working on issues related to China’s economy and institutions. The aim of the series is to bring together young scholars by providing a platform to present new research, get feedback, exchange ideas, and make connections. Each session features a single presenter who may present a new research plan, share results from preliminary data analyses, or do a trial run of a job talk or conference presentation. The Workshop Series is an opportunity to give and receive feedback on existing research, get to know other researchers around campus who are working on or in China, and be a testing ground for new ideas, data, and presentations.

Workshops are held every other Tuesday from 2 - 3 pm. Afternoon refreshments will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present.