International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 14, No. 3 (2018)

Can Khan Academy e-learning video tutorials improve mathematics achievements in Sri Lanka?

bilesha Weeraratne, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka
Brian Chin, Asian Development Bank, Philippines

Abstract
This study evaluates the impact of Khan Academy (KA) video tutorials in a blended learning environment for ninth grade students in Sri Lanka. The 632 treatment group students followed KA during 2-3 time slots out of 5 time slots assigned for mathematics teaching per week. Students in the control group followed the regular class room environment with a mathematics teacher during all 5 time slots. The impact of KA is evaluated based on students’ mathematics achievements in raw, standardized and Item Response Theory adjusted scaled test scores using Propensity Score Matching. On average KA resulted in increasing students’ raw and scaled test scores by 3.54 and 2.83 percentage points, respectively, and standardized test scores by 0.21 standard deviations above the mean test score. The evaluation provides initial evidence that the use of KA would help Sri Lankan students in mathematics. The findings are robust to alternative specification, where school and teacher inputs are controlled for in addition to students’ characteristics, and when estimation is limited to the subsample of students that had a common mathematics teacher across the treatment and the control groups.

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