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Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance
This paper presents results from a randomised controlled trial in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town, South Africa, to test whether parental messages can increase learner attendance at after-school programmes. Parents who were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups received simple week...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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School of Economics
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613181691559936 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Owsley, Nicholas |
| author2 | Burns, Justine |
| author_browse | Burns, Justine Owsley, Nicholas |
| author_facet | Burns, Justine Owsley, Nicholas |
| author_sort | Owsley, Nicholas |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This paper presents results from a randomised controlled trial in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town, South Africa, to test whether parental messages can increase learner attendance at after-school programmes. Parents who were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups received simple weekly text messages providing them with information about their children's attendance in the previous week. Learners whose parents received text messages attended on average 5.6%-6.1% more after-school sessions than the control group (p<0.01), after controlling for background characteristics and spillover effects. This effect was sustained over the course of the observation period. Structured interviews with parents suggest that those parents who received messages were more likely to engage their children regarding the after-school programme, and were better able to monitor their children's attendance. The intervention cost approximately R1.01 per child per week and has potential for replication. However, good quality data collection systems and regular updates of parent contact information are important for the success of similar interventions. This paper shows that low-cost text messages to poorer parents can increase learners' investment in their education, and shows potential to be scaled up. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/25411 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:03.909Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | School of Economics |
| publisherStr | School of Economics |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/25411 Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance Owsley, Nicholas Burns, Justine Economic Development This paper presents results from a randomised controlled trial in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town, South Africa, to test whether parental messages can increase learner attendance at after-school programmes. Parents who were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups received simple weekly text messages providing them with information about their children's attendance in the previous week. Learners whose parents received text messages attended on average 5.6%-6.1% more after-school sessions than the control group (p<0.01), after controlling for background characteristics and spillover effects. This effect was sustained over the course of the observation period. Structured interviews with parents suggest that those parents who received messages were more likely to engage their children regarding the after-school programme, and were better able to monitor their children's attendance. The intervention cost approximately R1.01 per child per week and has potential for replication. However, good quality data collection systems and regular updates of parent contact information are important for the success of similar interventions. This paper shows that low-cost text messages to poorer parents can increase learners' investment in their education, and shows potential to be scaled up. 2017-09-26T14:57:26Z 2017-09-26T14:57:26Z 2017 Master Thesis Masters MCom http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25411 eng application/pdf School of Economics Faculty of Commerce University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Economic Development Owsley, Nicholas Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| title_full | Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| title_fullStr | Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| title_short | Getting the message: Using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| title_sort | getting the message using parental text messaging to increase learner attendance |
| topic | Economic Development |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25411 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT owsleynicholas gettingthemessageusingparentaltextmessagingtoincreaselearnerattendance |