CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Ahmed, Ayesha |
|---|---|
| Title | Correlation of Availability of Computers and Students??? Academic Performance for Maths: Evaluating the ???Punjab IT Labs??? project |
| Summary | Despite numerous interventions and investments in the global education sector, learning poverty remains a significant challenge, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. One of the underlying reasons for this issue is the lack of impact assessment of past policies, leading to the repetition of mistakes and the misallocation of resources. To address this concern, this paper focuses on evaluating a specific interventional project called the "Punjab IT Labs" initiative, which involved setting up computer labs in secondary-level schools. In this study, a sequential mixed methods approach was employed. Initially, the quantitative aspect measured the correlation of computer labs on average math scores in provincial exams. Surprisingly, the findings showed only a negligible increase of 0.533 percent in math scores, representing merely 1.02 percent of the mean scores. To gain deeper insights into this limited impact, qualitative methods were employed through semi-structured interviews with Head Teachers and Teachers. The interviews aimed to understand the reasons behind the minimal effect observed. The field insights gathered during the interviews confirmed the quantitative findings, revealing that the computer labs were primarily used for the subject of 'computer' and not utilized for other subjects. Moreover, the lack of financial autonomy of Head Teachers, operational issue hindered teachers to utilize the labs for math or other subjects was restricted, which further limited the potential benefits of the intervention. |
| Supervisor | Dr. Mihály Fazekas (CEU) & Dr. Fulya Apaydin (IBEI) |
| Department | School of Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/ahmed_ayesha.pdf |
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