Does the Doer Effect Exist Beyond WEIRD Populations? Toward Analytics in Radio and Phone-Based Learning

TL;DR

This study investigates whether the Doer Effect, where active learning correlates with better outcomes, applies to Ugandan students using mobile phones and radio, highlighting its potential generalizability beyond WEIRD populations.

Contribution

The paper provides evidence that active learning correlates with positive outcomes in a non-WEIRD context using mobile and radio technologies, expanding the understanding of the Doer Effect.

Findings

Active learning is more associated with positive outcomes than passive learning.

The relationship between active learning and outcomes is weaker for students with higher prior education.

Using familiar technology and increasing practice opportunities can enhance learning in diverse contexts.

Abstract

The Doer Effect states that completing more active learning activities, like practice questions, is more strongly related to positive learning outcomes than passive learning activities, like reading, watching, or listening to course materials. Although broad, most evidence has emerged from practice with tutoring systems in Western, Industrialized, Rich, Educated, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations in North America and Europe. Does the Doer Effect generalize beyond WEIRD populations, where learners may practice in remote locales through different technologies? Through learning analytics, we provide evidence from N = 234 Ugandan students answering multiple-choice questions via phones and listening to lectures via community radio. Our findings support the hypothesis that active learning is more associated with learning outcomes than passive learning. We find this relationship is weaker for learners with higher prior educational attainment. Our findings motivate further study of the Doer Effect in diverse populations. We offer considerations for future research in designing and evaluating contextually relevant active and passive learning opportunities including leveraging familiar technology, increasing the number of practice opportunities, and aligning multiple data sources.