NEW SCHOOL WORKBOOKS NOT BETTER THAN TRADITIONAL TEXTBOOKS - WITS STUDY

A new study released by researchers from Wits University and JET Education Services reveals that  the 'new' workbooks introduced in primary schools did not work better than approved textbooks for that subject area.

The study was undertaken in response to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motskekga's budget allocation of R750 million in the 2010/11 budget for easy-to-read workbooks in all official languages to be distributed to the poorest 40% of primary schools.

"The study suggests that more research is required before more workbooks are introduced into the national education system as these workbooks do not necessarily improve learner performance," says Brahm Fleisch, Professor of Education Policy from the Wits School of Education, and one of the lead researchers of the study.

The study, undertaken between January and July 2010, covered 14 weeks of the National Senior Certificate curriculum and was based on Grade 6 learner mathematics workbooks in 42 primary schools in quintiles 1-4 in Gauteng. According to Fleisch, the policy implications of the study suggest that learner materials, when available for all learners and used on a systematic basis, can make a substantial difference in learner achievement. A second major implication of the study is that more research is needed before substantial public resources are committed to the printing and distribution of new workbooks to schools.

HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

The study is a randomised control trial in 42 primary schools in quintiles 1-4 in Gauteng using a method that is commonly regarded as the 'gold-standard' in social science research. Two sets of quality learner materials were tested. In preparation for the main study, the team undertook an audit of Grade 6 mathematics textbooks in the control schools. The audit revealed that very few schools have sufficient copies of books for each learner and in more than half of the schools, the audit found only a single teacher copy in each classroom.

The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Learners in the experimental group were all issued with a 'workbook', which children write in directly.  The workbook emphasises basic skill proficiency and the four basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Learners in the control group of schools were all given an approved textbook that is widely used in South African primary schools. In addition to books and teacher guides, both the experimental and control groups received two days of training in the use of the books and three classroom visits to monitor coverage.

Both groups of learners showed statistically significant improvement of eight percentage points from a baseline of 47 percent. However, the researchers found no statistical different in the gains between the two group. Although both groups of learners improved their mathematics achievement, the 'new' workbook did not work better than the approved textbook.

Statement issued by Prof. Brahm Fleisch, University of the Witwatersrand, August 30 2010

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