Grade 6 learners show no significant difference in mathematics gains whether using a customised workbook or a conventional textbook¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2011 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? In a 44-school RCT, gains did not differ significantly between the workbook (PM) and textbook (CM) groups, each improving by over 8 percentage points. → Brahm Fleisch 2011
Evidence¶
Brahm Fleisch 2011¶
Brahm Fleisch, Nick Taylor, Roelien Herholdt and Ingrid Sapire. (2011). Evaluation of Back to Basics mathematics workbooks: a randomised control trial of the Primary Mathematics Research Project. South African Journal of Education, Vol 31:488-504. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1136612
q3 · i? · causal · r2
Randomised control trial in 44 Gauteng primary schools (22 per group), Grade 6, 14 weeks, with 1374 CM and 1141 PM learners tested pre and post. The difference in gains between CM and PM was "not statistically significant (p value of 0.29)"; equivalence was not tested.
"Despite the differences in both form (workbook vs. textbook) and internal logic of these materials, there was no significant difference in the gains made by the two groups, each group achieving a mean improvement of over 8 percentage points"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- A larger share of the textbook (CM) group achieved 79% or more curriculum coverage than the workbook (PM) group — related
- Gain scores by curriculum coverage diverge by material: CM learners covering 79% or more gained more, while below 79% PM learners gained more, though the latter difference is not significant — reports the opposite
- Control schools faced severe textbook shortages: only two of 22 audited schools had sufficient Grade 6 mathematics textbooks and around half had no copies — related
- Both workbook and textbook groups made statistically significant pre-to-post gains larger than most South African interventions typically achieve — related
- Under the study's costing assumptions, the PM workbook materials are more expensive per learner per year than the CM textbook and teacher guide — related
- First-grade students taught with tablet e-textbooks showed significant pre-test to post-test improvement in core curriculum achievement — reports the opposite
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
status |
review |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-11-01 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.