Reducing Gaps or Widening Divides: Moderators of EdTech Impact in Secondary Math and Science Education in Fragile Contexts

• In Event: Scaling and Sustaining Arts and Multimedia Distance Education in Fragile Contexts

Proposal

This presentation examines the promise and limitations of distance education in fragile contexts. While radio, television, and digital platforms can reach large numbers of learners, scholars note that they often fall short of their advertised benefits (Cuban, 2001, 2013) and may even deepen disparities (Philip & Olivares‐Pasillas, 2016; Sims, 2017; Selwyn, 2023). This highlights the need to investigate not only average effects but also which learners benefit most (and least) from such interventions.

Most existing studies focus on average treatment effects or simple subgroup differences, with few examining how student demographics, household characteristics, or learner dispositions shape responsiveness to distance education (Hillmayr et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2014; Van der Kleij et al., 2015). This gap is especially important in fragile, resource-constrained contexts, where weak infrastructure often forces distance education to substitute for formal schooling during extended disruptions caused by conflict or natural disasters.

Phase I of the distance Education project in Afghanistan demonstrated that TV and radio instruction, paired with WhatsApp tutoring, increased exposure by up to 30 percentage points and raised scores by up to 42 points (Burde, Lahmann, & Samii, 2023). Building on these findings, we examine treatment effect heterogeneity by structural moderators such as gender, socioeconomic status, and digital access. Rather than simple subgroup comparisons, we explore how these structural factors interact to shape who benefits most.

The research further investigates behavioral moderators, including technology self-efficacy, attitudes toward EdTech, and perceived parental support, alongside structural factors (Hillmayr et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2014; Van der Kleij et al., 2015), using follow-up RCT data from Afghanistan and secondary data from other fragile settings.

Together, this work provides a nuanced understanding of distance education in math and science. By identifying which groups benefit most, and under what conditions, the findings address concerns that EdTech may reinforce inequalities (Cuban, 2001, 2013; Philip & Olivares‐Pasillas, 2016; Sims, 2017; Selwyn, 2023) and aim to inform more equitable, context-sensitive program design in fragile contexts.

Authors

• Abdul Hamid Hatsaandh, New York University

• Dana Burde, New York University

• Heddy Lahmann, New York University

• Mohammad Jawed Nazari, New York University

• Rena Deitz, New York University