Research Associate – Math Games Scale-up - J-PAL South Asia

Country: India

Project: Math Games Scale-Up Project

Start Date (earliest): ASAP

Base Location: Bangalore, Karnataka/ Delhi, India

Length of Commitment: 1 year

Education: Bachelor’s/Master’s

Organization: J-PAL South Asia at IFMR

Language requirement: Kannada required (knowledge of Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu or Marathi would be advantageous)

Principal Investigators: Esther Duflo, Elizabeth Spelke, Harini Kannan

Job Description:

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) J-PAL was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at MIT. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who use randomized evaluations to answer critical policy questions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL is propelled by a team dedicated to research, policy, training, and other vital work, supporting J-PAL's mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.

J-PAL South Asia, the regional office which is based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in India, analyses and disseminates research results and builds partnerships with policymakers to ensure that policy is driven by evidence, and that programs proven effective are scaled up. We have a growing number of partnerships in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. For more information on J-PAL SA, please see http://www.povertyactionlab.org/south-asia.

The Policy team at J-PAL South Asia (J-PAL SA) disseminates findings of J-PAL’s research; develops relationships with governments, civil society, and academic stakeholders; catalyzes scale-ups and replications of effective projects; and assists in conceptualizing new research projects. The team works closely with the global J-PAL office based at MIT to align the regional strategy with broader organizational objectives.

Project Description

Many poor children around the world underperform in school math. In India, 97% of children now go to school, but less than half of 5th grade children can perform arithmetic beyond 2nd grade level (ASER Centre 2015). In contrast, research in cognitive science reveals that infants and preschool children in different societies, with or without formal education, have an interest in and a shared, intuitive understanding of number and geometry (e.g. Dehaene et al. 2006; Jara-Ettinger et al. 2017; Newcombe and Huttenlocher 2003; Spelke 2011). Moreover, poor kindergarten children can play math games that draw on this understanding as well as more advantaged children do, both in the U.S. (Gilmore, McCarthy, and Spelke 2007, 2010) and India (Dillon et al. 2017).

Math Games is an innovative math curriculum that aims to develop children's intuitive concepts of number and geometry, informed by decades of cognitive development research, and rigorously evaluated through three randomized evaluations in Delhi. We find that children exposed to these games exhibited gains innate as school math skills compared to those who were not exposed to the games.

J-PAL SA is currently working with different state governments to scale up Math Games - Every Child Counts. Most recently, J-PAL SA is exploring other innovative and collaborative pathways with non-profits to scale the Every Child Counts in collaboration with State governments through knowledge transfer, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement.

This is an excellent opportunity to impact the foundational numeracy skills and math learning outcomes of children by scaling evidence-based programs with the NGO Partners.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The Research Associate will work closely with PIs and the field team to undertake the following tasks.

1. Overseeing implementation of the pilot in accordance with the research design, in association with our partner organization.
2. Work closely with PIs to develop child assessments, process monitoring tools, and other data collection instruments.
3. Design and lead data collection activities with support from the field team.
4. Data cleaning and management
   1. Review and vet project datasets and maintain an efficient data documentation system.
   2. Work with other members of the team to reconcile any gaps or errors in the data.
5. Data analysis and synthesis
   1. Assist in analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected during the project’s implementation.
   2. Liaise with members of the project team by sending them statistics as and when required.
   3. Generate aggregated views of the data for various stakeholders – the implementation partners, Principal Investigators and donors.
   4. Assist in documenting data collection efforts, including any issues and key decisions taken for improvements.
6. Working closely with the Policy team to develop memos, presentations and other communication materials for use in advocacy, government meetings etc.
7. Maintain compliance with all J-PAL protocols and policies.
8. Assist in preparation of documents and presentations for donor reporting as well policy memos as dissemination activities.
9. Maintain general project documentation.
10. Support team to develop the Math Games curriculum to be piloted and scaled.
11. Assist in setting up demonstration pilots in conjunction with NGO or government partners.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in economics, education, applied psychology, cognitive science or related fields.
• Experience 0-2 years, experience working in cognitive science/education sector preferred.
• Experience working in schools is a plus
• Excellent management/organizational skills and able to solve unexpected problems.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills.
• Working knowledge of Stata.
• Familiarity with RCTs.
• Flexible, self-motivating, independent and manages multiple tasks efficiently.
• Ability to deal with unstructured and changing environments.
• Attention to detail.
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English and Kannada (required). Knowledge of Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu or Marathi would also be advantageous.

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.