Parents-only SMS/audio nudges produced statistically non-significant learning gains of d = 0.081 in rural Cote d'Ivoire¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-26 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 Parents-only treatment had a positive but statistically insignificant effect on a standardized learning summary measure (d = 0.081, p = 0.158), equivalent to roughly one-quarter of a school year. → Sharon Wolf and Guilherme Lichand 2023

Evidence¶

Sharon Wolf and Guilherme Lichand 2023¶

Sharon Wolf and Guilherme Lichand. (2023). Nudging parents and teachers to improve learning and reduce child labor in Cote d'Ivoire. npj Science of Learning 8:37. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00180-z

q3 · i0 · causal · r2

School-randomized trial with N = 100 schools and 2246 students; ANCOVA regression with baseline controls, inverse-propensity attrition weights, and school-clustered standard errors. The parents-only arm showed "meaningful but statistically insigni ficant impacts" on the learning summary measure; literacy p = 0.236, numeracy p = 0.108.

"There were meaningful but statistically insigni ficant impacts of the parent treatment on a learning summary measure ( d = 0.081, p = 0.158), and similarly sized but statistically insigni ficant impacts on each of the two learning domains"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• An SMS-based nudge intervention in Cote d'Ivoire did not reduce child labor or raise learning overall, but raised learning and domestic work among children starting with low learning levels — a broader claim this one bears on
• Parents-only nudge effects on learning were larger and positive for children with below-median baseline skills — related
• Parents-only nudges marginally significantly increased child-reported child labor (d = 0.113), contrary to intervention goals — related
• The nudge intervention had no statistically significant effects on parenting mechanisms of motivation and engagement — related
• Teacher-only and combined parent-teacher nudges showed no statistically significant impacts on learning; point estimates were small and negative for the learning summary and literacy, and near zero for numeracy — related
• Teacher-targeted nudges showed significant negative interactions with child sex, with negative learning impacts for girls — related
• Targeting students directly (versus caregivers) produced significantly larger nudge effects on test scores (0.31 vs. 0.08 s.d.) — related
• SMS nudges targeting socio-emotional skills increased student-level standardized test scores during remote learning, by 0.21 s.d. in Portuguese and 0.19 s.d. on the summary measure — related