Can Khan Academy e-Learning Video Tutorials Improve Mathematics Achievement in Sri Lanka?

This study evaluates the impact of Khan Academy (KA) video tutorials in a blended learning environment for ninth grade students in Sri Lanka. The 632 treatment group students followed KA during 2-3 out of 5 time slots assigned for mathematics teaching per week. Students in the control group followed the regular class room environment with a mathematics teacher during all 5 time slots. The impact of KA is evaluated based on students' mathematics achievements in raw, standardized, and Item Response Theory adjusted scaled test scores using propensity score matching. On average KA resulted in increasing students' raw and scaled test scores by 3.77 and 3.15 percentage points, respectively, and standardized test scores by 0.20 standard deviations above the mean test score. The evaluation provides initial evidence that the use of KA would help Sri Lankan students in mathematics. The findings are robust to alternative specifications, where school and teacher inputs are controlled for in addition to students' characteristics, and when estimation is limited to the subsample of students that had a common mathematics teacher across the treatment and the control groups.