Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina
We evaluate the learning impact of different teacher training methods using a random controlled trial implemented in 70 state schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A control group receiving standard teacher training was compared with two alternative treatment arms: providing a structured curriculum un...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Oxford University Press
2019
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50899/ |
| _version_ | 1848798363935309824 |
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| author | Albornoz, Facundo Anauati, Victoria Luzuriaga, Maria Furman, Melina Podesta, Maria Eugenia Taylor, Ines |
| author_facet | Albornoz, Facundo Anauati, Victoria Luzuriaga, Maria Furman, Melina Podesta, Maria Eugenia Taylor, Ines |
| author_sort | Albornoz, Facundo |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | We evaluate the learning impact of different teacher training methods using a random controlled trial implemented in 70 state schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A control group receiving standard teacher training was compared with two alternative treatment arms: providing a structured curriculum unit or receiving both the unit and weekly coaching. Following a 12-week intervention, there are substantial learning gains for students whose teachers were trained using structured curriculum units, as well as for those whose teachers received coaching (between 55% and 64% of a standard deviation more than those students in the control group). Coaching teachers does not appear to be a cost-effective, as the unit cost per 0.1 standard deviation is more than twice the cost of using only the structured curriculum unit. However, additional coaching is particularly beneficial for inexperienced teachers with less than 2 years of teaching Science. Coaching teachers also showed specific gains for girls, who both learned and declared to enjoy science lessons more. Higher-performing students especially benefited from both interventions, with students from coached teachers performing particularly well in harder questions. Using structured curriculum units and providing coaching also affected teacher perceptions: teachers expressed that they enjoyed teaching Science more, taught more hours of Science and that their students developed more skills. Results from a follow-up survey suggest persistent change in teacher practice, with the vast majority reporting using the structured curriculum unit one year after the intervention. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:18:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-50899 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:18:35Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-508992020-05-04T19:29:33Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50899/ Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina Albornoz, Facundo Anauati, Victoria Luzuriaga, Maria Furman, Melina Podesta, Maria Eugenia Taylor, Ines We evaluate the learning impact of different teacher training methods using a random controlled trial implemented in 70 state schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A control group receiving standard teacher training was compared with two alternative treatment arms: providing a structured curriculum unit or receiving both the unit and weekly coaching. Following a 12-week intervention, there are substantial learning gains for students whose teachers were trained using structured curriculum units, as well as for those whose teachers received coaching (between 55% and 64% of a standard deviation more than those students in the control group). Coaching teachers does not appear to be a cost-effective, as the unit cost per 0.1 standard deviation is more than twice the cost of using only the structured curriculum unit. However, additional coaching is particularly beneficial for inexperienced teachers with less than 2 years of teaching Science. Coaching teachers also showed specific gains for girls, who both learned and declared to enjoy science lessons more. Higher-performing students especially benefited from both interventions, with students from coached teachers performing particularly well in harder questions. Using structured curriculum units and providing coaching also affected teacher perceptions: teachers expressed that they enjoyed teaching Science more, taught more hours of Science and that their students developed more skills. Results from a follow-up survey suggest persistent change in teacher practice, with the vast majority reporting using the structured curriculum unit one year after the intervention. Oxford University Press 2019-02-13 Article PeerReviewed Albornoz, Facundo, Anauati, Victoria, Luzuriaga, Maria, Furman, Melina, Podesta, Maria Eugenia and Taylor, Ines (2019) Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina. World Bank Economic Review . ISSN 0258-6770 Science education; Teacher training; Experimental study https://academic.oup.com/wber/advance-article/doi/10.1093/wber/lhy010/5318602?searchresult=1 doi:10.1093/wber/lhy010 doi:10.1093/wber/lhy010 |
| spellingShingle | Science education; Teacher training; Experimental study Albornoz, Facundo Anauati, Victoria Luzuriaga, Maria Furman, Melina Podesta, Maria Eugenia Taylor, Ines Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title | Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title_full | Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title_short | Training to teach science: experimental evidence from Argentina |
| title_sort | training to teach science: experimental evidence from argentina |
| topic | Science education; Teacher training; Experimental study |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50899/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50899/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50899/ |