ERIC Number: ED610255
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 52
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Math Is for Girls: The Unequal Effects of Text Messaging to Help Parents Support Early Math Development. EdWorkingPaper No. 20-310
Doss, Christopher; Fricke, Hans; Loeb, Susanna
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
This study assesses the effects of two text-messaging programs for parents that aim to support the development of math skills in prekindergarten students. One program focuses purely on math, while the other takes an identical approach but focuses on a combination of math, literacy, and social-emotional skills. We find no evidence that the math-only program benefits children's development. However, the combination program shows greater promise, particularly for girls. Quantile regressions indicate that the effects are concentrated in the lower half of the outcome distribution. Results imply that girls may have started the year behind boys in math and caught up to and even surpassed boys when their parents have access to the program that combines topics. Our results also provide evidence that the structure of behavioral interventions can affect who benefits from the program, sometimes in unexpected ways, to produce meaningful differences in outcomes. We discuss and provide evidence for various hypotheses that could explain these differences.
Descriptors: Telecommunications, Handheld Devices, Mathematics Skills, Preschool Children, Mathematics Instruction, Literacy Education, Social Development, Emotional Development, Program Effectiveness, Gender Differences, Behavior Modification, Intervention, Parent Participation, Information Dissemination, Teacher Role, Parent Role, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: AISR_Info@brown.edu; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Heising-Simons Foundation
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: California (San Francisco); California (Fresno); California (Oakland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A