The Relationship Between Educational Television and Mathematics Capability in Tanzania
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The relationship between educational television and mathematics capability in Tanzania Joseph Watson Faculty of Education Homerton College University of Cambridge November 2019 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy i Declaration This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my thesis has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee Joseph Watson November 2019 ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Sara Hennessy and Prof. Anna Vignoles. Without their extraordinary support and patience, this thesis would not have been possible. Thanks also to my advisor, Dr. Benjamin Alcott, whose guidance throughout my PhD has been hugely beneficial. I am grateful to all those in Tanzania who assisted with or participated in this research. Amongst those who assisted, Mussa provided fantastic guidance as well as playing a vital role in training data collectors and conducting interviews. Titus also played a key part in gathering information and was always so helpful. Thank you as well to Nisha and Lauren, for being so welcoming and answering all my questions about educational television! Lastly, I would like to thank my parents, Mark and Nichola, for their wonderful help and encouragement. iii The relationship between educational television and mathematics capability in Tanzania Joseph Watson Abstract Previous studies have frequently demonstrated that educational television viewing can have a positive effect on learning in low-income country contexts when shows are delivered in controlled settings. However, the consequence of day-to-day viewing in such contexts has scarcely been considered. Additionally, no recent published research has provided any information on the costs of educational television. The lack of research in these areas is striking. Examining educational television viewing in monitored settings provides limited information on the influence of routine television consumption. Further, the broad reach of numerous educational television programmes should provide low per- viewer costs and, resultantly, strong cost-effectiveness findings. This PhD study therefore examined (1) the association between educational television exposure and mathematics capability and (2) the cost effectiveness of educational television interventions. To achieve this, research was carried out that centred on Ubongo Kids – a popular Tanzanian-produced show delivering mathematics-focused content. Quantitative investigation into the association between educational television exposure and mathematics capability used nationally representative data, collected by Uwezo Tanzania. A household fixed-effects model showed that exposure to educational television was significantly associated with mathematics capability among children aged 7-16, when controlling for age, sex, school enrolment and Kiswahili attainment. Findings from this model were used in cost-effectiveness calculations, alongside cost data and an estimate of the number of Ubongo Kids viewers. Results compared favourably against those for other interventions, with calculations regarding Ubongo Kids’ ongoing activities suggesting it to have been more cost effective than any other intervention previously investigated using the same cost-effectiveness approach. These findings indicate that in low-income contexts: educational television programmes can aid learning; and, that directing a greater proportion of available educational resources towards educational television interventions may benefit educational outcomes. 1 x Contents 1 Chapter 1 – Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.2 Contextual information ......................................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 Tanzania and Dar es Salaam ......................................................................................... 10 1.2.2 Ubongo .......................................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Theoretical standpoint ........................................................................................................... 15 1.3.1 Human capital ............................................................................................................... 15 1.3.2 Transfer of learning ....................................................................................................... 18 1.4 Philosophical standpoint ....................................................................................................... 22 1.4.1 Epistemology and ontology .......................................................................................... 22 1.4.2 Research paradigm: post-positivism ............................................................................. 23 1.5 Chapter summary and thesis layout ...................................................................................... 24 2 Chapter 2 – Literature review ................................................................................................... 26 2.1 Chapter overview .................................................................................................................. 26 2.2 Learning from educational television.................................................................................... 27 2.2.1 Influence of viewer age range on learning from educational television ....................... 31 2.2.2 Additional factors influencing impact ........................................................................... 39 2.2.3 Beyond attainment and capability ................................................................................. 40 2.2.4 Research concerning educational television in developing countries ........................... 41 2.3 Cost analysis ......................................................................................................................... 46 2.3.1 Cost-effectiveness analysis ........................................................................................... 48 2.4 Summary and research gaps .................................................................................................. 54 2.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 55 2.5.1 Consideration of potential factors influencing the development of the research questions ....................................................................................................................................... 56 3 Chapter 3 – Methods .................................................................................................................. 58 3.1 Introduction to methods ........................................................................................................ 58 3.2 Ethics..................................................................................................................................... 60 3.3 Quantitative methods ............................................................................................................ 63 3.3.1 Quantitative methods employed for analysis of the primary research question ............ 64 3.3.2 Quantitative methods employed for analysis of the subsidiary research question ...... 110 3.4 Qualitative method: Interviews including Ubongo Kids viewing ....................................... 114 3.4.1 Interview sampling ...................................................................................................... 115 3.4.2 Interview data collection ............................................................................................. 117 3.4.3 Thematic Analysis....................................................................................................... 124 2 3.5 Summary of methods and consideration of mixed methods approach ................................ 130 4 Chapter 4 – Descriptive statistics ............................................................................................ 131 4.1 Chapter overview ................................................................................................................ 131 4.2 Samples for analysis ........................................................................................................... 131 4.3 Levels of missingness ......................................................................................................... 135 4.3.1 Cross-section data concerning Ilala and Temeke ........................................................ 136 4.3.2 Tanzania-wide cross-section