Evaluating Information Nudges to Increase Implementation of Differentiated Learning in Ghana Classrooms

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A Differentiated Learning classroom in Ghana. © 2023 Kanan Dubal

As part of the scale-up of Differentiated Learning in Ghana, researchers are partnering with IPA Ghana and the Ghana Education Service to conduct a randomized evaluation to measure whether a low-cost, one-page information sheet detailing the effectiveness of Differentiated Learning increases its implementation in schools.

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Despite an increase in primary school attendance in sub-Saharan Africa, 9 in 10 students cannot read or do basic math by age 10. In Ghana, just 7 percent of grade 3 students and 20 percent of grade 4 students meet required reading standards, while 8 percent and 16 percent, respectively, meet math standards.¹ IPA evidence shows that Differentiated Learning—a model of targeted instruction adapted to Ghana—can lead to significant gains in math and reading, although implementation is limited.

Based on this positive evidence, the Ghana Education Service has been scaling Differentiated Learning to 10,000 schools as part of the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) to improve education quality and accountability in low-performing basic primary schools. During this scale-up, IPA is providing support to further integrate Differentiated Learning into the curriculum to boost student learning. Monitoring data from GALOP’s implementation highlight challenges such as limited teacher motivation, insufficient support systems, and resource constraints have hindered the fidelity of implementation.

To address these barriers, researchers are partnering with IPA Ghana and the Ghana Education Service to conduct a randomized evaluation to measure whether a low-cost, one-page information sheet for teachers increases the implementation of Differentiated Learning. The informational sheets contain infographics and success stories highlighting the effectiveness of Differentiated Learning in Ghana. The intervention includes 200 schools whose teachers and head teachers have previously received training in Differentiated Learning under GALOP. The schools have been randomly assigned to the following groups:

Intervention: Teachers in these schools received the informational sheets. After schools received the sheets, group discussion sessions and one-on-one follow-ups assessed teachers’ comprehension and motivation to implement Differentiated Learning.
No Intervention (Comparison Group): Schools did not receive informational sheets or follow-ups and continued with their usual activities.

Results will be available in 2025.