Improving the teacher feedback process in primary education: evidence from randomized controlled trials in schools in rural China

Xiang ZHOU; Ho Lun WONG; Xiangdong WEI; W. Stanley SIEBERT

doi:10.1080/09645292.2024.2412680

Improving the teacher feedback process in primary education: evidence from randomized controlled trials in schools in rural China

Xiang ZHOU, Ho Lun WONG, Xiangdong WEI, W. Stanley SIEBERT^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Economics

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

Abstract

RCTs in primary schools in rural China show frequent personalized teacher feedback improves exam scores for Grade 3 (age 9), including those ‘left behind’ by migrating parents. Two terms of biweekly feedback increase math and language scores by 0.15 standard deviations, with an RCT texting results to parents giving 0.26 sd extra math improvement for the left-behind. Some math improvements maintain even 30 months later. Direct costs are under $5/student. Yet identical feedback produces nothing for Grade 5. Information feedback interventions thus have excellent potential, but their fall in impact with age suggests efforts must begin early.

Original language	English
Number of pages	26
Journal	Education Economics
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2024.2412680
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 15 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

We thank Clive Belfield, Chris Darko, John Heywood, Paulino Teixeira and Nick Zubanov for useful comments, and also participants at the meeting of the Work Pensions and Employment Group (Sheffield), Econometric Society in Asia, the Asian and Australasian Society of Labour Economists, the IZA/SOLE Transatlantic Meeting of Labor Economists, and the Association of Education Economists 2021. Any errors are our own. This study was approved by the University of Birmingham Humanities and Sciences Research Ethics Committee, the Education Bureau of Shaoyang County (Hunan Province), and the principals of all the schools. The student data are anonymized with no risk of identification.

Funding

This work was supported by the General Research Fund of the Research Grant Council in Hong Kong [Ref. No. LU342013], and the Economic and Social Research Council [Ref. No. RES-000-22-3654].

Keywords

Teacher feedback
primary education
cost-effective teaching
randomized controlled trial
rural China
left-behind children

Access to Document

10.1080/09645292.2024.2412680

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09645292.2024.2412680

Cite this

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title = "Improving the teacher feedback process in primary education: evidence from randomized controlled trials in schools in rural China",

abstract = "RCTs in primary schools in rural China show frequent personalized teacher feedback improves exam scores for Grade 3 (age 9), including those {\textquoteleft}left behind{\textquoteright} by migrating parents. Two terms of biweekly feedback increase math and language scores by 0.15 standard deviations, with an RCT texting results to parents giving 0.26 sd extra math improvement for the left-behind. Some math improvements maintain even 30 months later. Direct costs are under $5/student. Yet identical feedback produces nothing for Grade 5. Information feedback interventions thus have excellent potential, but their fall in impact with age suggests efforts must begin early.",

keywords = "Teacher feedback, primary education, cost-effective teaching, randomized controlled trial, rural China, left-behind children",

author = "Xiang ZHOU and WONG, {Ho Lun} and Xiangdong WEI and SIEBERT, {W. Stanley}",

note = "We thank Clive Belfield, Chris Darko, John Heywood, Paulino Teixeira and Nick Zubanov for useful comments, and also participants at the meeting of the Work Pensions and Employment Group (Sheffield), Econometric Society in Asia, the Asian and Australasian Society of Labour Economists, the IZA/SOLE Transatlantic Meeting of Labor Economists, and the Association of Education Economists 2021. Any errors are our own. This study was approved by the University of Birmingham Humanities and Sciences Research Ethics Committee, the Education Bureau of Shaoyang County (Hunan Province), and the principals of all the schools. The student data are anonymized with no risk of identification.",

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AU - SIEBERT, W. Stanley

N1 - We thank Clive Belfield, Chris Darko, John Heywood, Paulino Teixeira and Nick Zubanov for useful comments, and also participants at the meeting of the Work Pensions and Employment Group (Sheffield), Econometric Society in Asia, the Asian and Australasian Society of Labour Economists, the IZA/SOLE Transatlantic Meeting of Labor Economists, and the Association of Education Economists 2021. Any errors are our own. This study was approved by the University of Birmingham Humanities and Sciences Research Ethics Committee, the Education Bureau of Shaoyang County (Hunan Province), and the principals of all the schools. The student data are anonymized with no risk of identification.

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AB - RCTs in primary schools in rural China show frequent personalized teacher feedback improves exam scores for Grade 3 (age 9), including those ‘left behind’ by migrating parents. Two terms of biweekly feedback increase math and language scores by 0.15 standard deviations, with an RCT texting results to parents giving 0.26 sd extra math improvement for the left-behind. Some math improvements maintain even 30 months later. Direct costs are under $5/student. Yet identical feedback produces nothing for Grade 5. Information feedback interventions thus have excellent potential, but their fall in impact with age suggests efforts must begin early.

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KW - primary education

KW - cost-effective teaching

KW - randomized controlled trial

KW - rural China

KW - left-behind children

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M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

SN - 0964-5292

JO - Education Economics

JF - Education Economics

ER -

Improving the teacher feedback process in primary education: evidence from randomized controlled trials in schools in rural China

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Pay-for-grades, e-Learning and Educational Outcomes: Experimental Evidences from China (結合學習成績獎勵與電化學習工具的教學效果：來自中國的實驗證據)

Cite this

Improving the teacher feedback process in primary education: evidence from randomized controlled trials in schools in rural China

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Pay-for-grades, e-Learning and Educational Outcomes: Experimental Evidences from China (結合學習成績獎勵與電化學習工具的教學效果：來自中國的實驗證據)

Cite this