Impact case study database

Collaborative research (R1-2) led by Professor Albornoz on Teacher Professional Development programmes, has directly informed and been adopted within education policy at the Ministry of Education in Argentina. As corroborated by the Secretary for Innovation and Quality at the Ministry of Education, the work became “a cornerstone to structure the teaching programmes run by the National Ministry”. This resulted in cost-savings and a transformational impact on the professional development of teachers [A].

During 2015-16, Albornoz and researchers at Universidad de San Andrés piloted the quantitative and experimental studies in 70 schools across the City of Buenos Aires. The delivery of the training deployed a workshop format and a course format. The workshop format involved three 4-hour sessions during a timeframe of 6-8 weeks; the course format consisted of 60 hours of training delivered throughout 8-10 weeks.

Before the research intervention [R1, R2, R3], teacher training in Argentina involved costly coaching interventions as a main tool. R1 and R2 demonstrated that in most cases, a structured sequence yields similar gains in terms of learning to coaching, but at a much lower cost. Specifically, the estimated savings per students resulting from the change in the training method from coaching (USD14.7 per student) to structured sequence (USD4.6 per student) is USD10.1, an approximate 70% saving.

Following the successful pilot in Buenos Aires and discussions of the research [R1, R2, R3] with senior ranked officers, the Ministry of Education adopted the recommendations in R1, R2 and R3 and redesigned the content and forms of delivery of the teacher training policy for Sciences, which further led to a restructure of the teacher training policy for Mathematics. The commitment to teacher training and new structure of the programme (which follows the proposed research recommendations), is outlined in the Ministry of Education’s National Programme and Action Plan 2017-2021 [B]. The restructure of the teacher training policy for Mathematics (which again follows the proposed research recommendations) is outlined in the National Framework for the Improvement of Learning in Mathematics [C].

The new policies were fully implemented into the secondary school system nationally across Argentina in the academic year (Jan-Dec) in 2018, and have already resulted in significant cost-savings highlighted in the table below and corroborated by the Secretary for Innovation and Quality in Education, [A]: “We are delighted with the success of the new training programmes in 2018, which are continuing during 2019 and beyond. During the 2018 academic year, the total savings estimated for the teaching to teach Science and Maths are over USD313,000 for the first year…Should this research had not been available, the Ministry of Education would have run the risk of misusing efforts and wasting costly resources.”

National Institute for Teachers’ Training (Instituto Nacional de Formación Docente (INFOD), 2018. Figures [D]

* Savings calculated from the baseline in the research [R1, R2, R3] and corroborated by Ministry of Education in Nov 2019 [A].

In addition, R1 shed light on how the new improved practical methods and learning materials changed perceptions and better engaged the teachers in the teaching of Sciences, which was later realised in professional teaching practice: “Another useful finding was that the structured curriculum units were sufficient to affect teacher perceptions, since teachers expressed that they enjoyed teaching Sciences more, taught more hours of Sciences and that their students developed more skills. This is a crucial piece of evidence as it shows that despite an initial reluctance to adopt new teaching pedagogies, teachers do incorporate the knowledge transmitted in the training”. Secretary for Innovation and Quality in Education, Ministry of Education [A]

In January 2018, the government launched the National Plan for the Teaching of Math (Plan Nacional Aprender Matemáticas - E) in which the coaching technique outlined in [R1] was set into action through a cascade approach. This programme trains trainers, namely teachers who then train further teachers. Each trainer trains four groups of 35 teachers each throughout six sessions. This is a cost-effective model has seen significant participation in its first year with substantial savings, as confirmed by figures provided by the Secretary for Innovation and Quality in Education at the Ministry of Education [A].

National Plan for the Teaching of Math (Plan Nacional Aprender Matemáticas) 2018 Figures [E]

* Savings calculated from the baseline in the research [R1, R2, R3] and corroborated by Ministry of Education in Nov 2019 [A]

Albornoz has worked extensively with researchers from the School of Education at the Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA), which has led to instrumental impacts. Based on the research evidence [R1, R2] on the benefits of the structured sequences to train teachers, in March 2019, UdeSA launched a new virtual postgraduate degree, ‘Specialisation in Science Education.’ As corroborated by the Director of the School for Education: ” The research evidence highlighted a substantial gain in terms of student learning outcomes of the implementation of the structured sequences technique and provision of guides for teachers to be used in the classroom. The benefits from the structured sequences technique were critical in our decision to launch a new postgraduate degree at UdeSA aimed at training future teachers, and teacher trainers across all levels of the education system.[F]”

This is the first postgraduate degree in Argentina to train Science teachers organised around the training of structured sequences. Aimed at Hispano-American students, the eleven module 18 month course focuses on training a new cohort of teachers in the use of structured guides for practical use in schools. UdeSA have highlighted improvements in the quality of teaching and the learning process, leading to excellent attainment levels for the first cohort, as stated : “The new structured sequences technique has improved the quality of the teaching and learning process. The teachers are trained and assessed (in each module and in the final dissertation) based on the method of structured sequences. This method enables the development of a deeper pedagogical content knowledge combined with the training on the inquiry-based teaching approach….We are delighted with the results achieved from our first cohort of 56 students in 2019. All of the cohort passed, with over 73% scoring 90% and over.”) [F, G]

In addition, the new postgraduate degree is the first virtual degree offered by UdeSA, enabling the University to extend its reach and recruit students across Argentina and more widely in Latin America. Since 2019, two cohorts have joined the course, enrolling 173 students; 150 from Argentina and 23 from neighbouring countries. The monthly fee for Argentinians is ARG 4600 (about USD 77), whereas non-nationals pay USD 200 per month, totalling an estimated income of USD 290,700 “..the new postgraduate degree is the first virtual degree offered by UdeSA, and it has allowed the School of Education to reach a new and broader audience. For example, there are students from all the provinces in Argentina and from other countries in the region.” [F, G].

The research [R3] has also gained interest beyond Argentina. The World Bank’s Lead Economist in the Chief Economist's Office for the Africa Region and former Senior Economist in the Human Development Department in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region , discussed the paper [R1] extensively in a recent World Bank Policy Research Working Paper‘. In the article, it is argued that ‘[Cole, Duflo and Linden (2007), and Albornoz et. al (2018) [R3] are] the only two programs that explicitly targeted teachers based on their experience, both of which resulted in student learning gains.’ [H]. Note that the World Bank Policy Research Working Paper series disseminates research findings with applicability; hence, it supplies countries with evidence-based recommendations to inform their policies. In addition, a World Bank specialist tweeted the paper [I].

In 2017, this research [R1] also attracted the attention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Coordinators of the Regional Programme in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and of the National Programme Specialist for Education at UNESCO contacted the research team when they were commissioning a policy paper on how Sciences are taught in the Latin American countries. Drawing on the findings in R1, the aim of the assignment was to propose pedagogical changes and new training strategies across the region. The commissioned policy report [J], which cites R1 extensively, has been used by UNESCO to recommend best practice concerning the new teacher training across the Latin American region, as stated by the UNESCO Regional Programme Specialist. “the research directly informed our policy brief (Aprender Ciencias en las Escuelas Primarias de América Latina, 2018) which recommended these new pedagogical techniques as best practice to Education Ministries and government departments across the Latin American region. In my interactions with policymakers in the areas of Education and Science & Innovation, I base my policy recommendations to improve science literacies on the findings and implications of this study.” [K].

The first research project on the effects of payday loans and the resulting working paper [2], now published as research paper [3], formed the evidence base for the Financial Conduct Authority’s introduction of a price cap on high-cost short-term (‘payday’) lending. Published in November 2014, FCA Consultation Paper 14/10 [A] included in full the research content in [2,3] as the main evidence base for intervention in the market. Professor Gathergood testified in defence of the research at the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee, providing oral testimony to the committee on the likely impact of the price cap and defending the research design and implementation [A]. After a period of consultation, which saw no amendments to the design of the policy, the price cap on payday lending was introduced in June 2015, coming into force in July 2015. The direct impacts of this policy have been widespread.

The policy has acted to protect the 4,300,000 applicants for payday loans in the UK [A] by limiting the prices that payday lenders can charge. The price cap led to a reduction in payday loan issuance, reducing the potential exposure of consumers to harm, including the market exit of the largest lender (Wonga). The policy was reviewed two years after its introduction, with the FCA review detailing a number of positive effects of the policy as follows:

• First, since the introduction of the policy 760,000 borrowers have collectively saved GBP750,000,000 over the five-year period as a result of the policy reducing the average cost of a payday loan from GBP100 to GBP60 [C, para 2.24].

• Second, the default rate on loans reduced from 14% to 4% [C, para 2.26].

• Third, consumer harm reduced, with the Citizen’s Advice Service reported a 60% reduction in the number of individuals presenting with cases relating to payday loans [C, 2.30].

The review concluded: “ We have found improved outcomes for consumers since setting the cap. Consumers pay less, repay on time more often and are less likely to need help with High Cost Short Term Credit products from debt charities.” [C, para 1.15]. On the basis of the impact of this project on payday lending, Gathergood was shortlisted as a finalist (final 3) for the 2017 ESRC Award for Outstanding Impact in Public Policy 2017.

In a subsequent collaboration with the Financial Conduct Authority, between July - December 2018 Gathergood advised on the research design for a project focusing on Rent-to-Own Finance, a high-cost form of finance. The Deputy Chief Economist for Research at the FCA writes that “[Gathergood] is highly productive in a practical setting: he has an ability to articulate complex economic ideas so that others understand the analysis and the logic of an argument” [D]. Gathergood worked with the FCA on the design and analysis of a consumer survey and designed the supply-side analysis. These designs adapted the research designs using the work on the payday lending price cap [in particular, the analysis adapted the supply-side analysis design from the payday price cap (Section 1 of A and the survey design in Section 3 of A) and applied these to the Rent-to-Own market in the analysis presented in E]. The results of this research were published by the FCA in their consultation on the design of the price cap [E,F].

This work led to the creation of a price cap applied to the Rent-to-Own market, mirroring the introduction of the price cap in the payday lending market. This work “ impacted our Rent-to-Own policy project directly and substantially… [and] “This analysis played an important role in setting the level of the cap.” [D] The price cap benefits customers in the Rent-to-Own market, of which there are approximately 400,000 in the UK. The cap, introduced from 1 April 2019, has been projected to save this group of consumers approximately GBP22,700,000 million annually (F).

The second research project, focusing on the determinants of consumer financial distress, building on Gathergood’s prior work on financial distress [4], “ had a major influence on the institution’s [FCA] collective thinking when developing rules and guidance for firms as to how they should make credit decisions” [B]. The resulting research paper [4] was presented by Gathergood at a launch event at the FCA, attended by stakeholders from industry and the third sector [B]. It also formed the main evidence base for the follow-up FCA guidance to lenders developed and outlined in OP17/28 “Preventing financial distress by predicting unaffordable consumer credit agreements: An applied framework” [G], which extensively references [4]. In turn, the findings on the predictability of financial distress were incorporated into new guidance issued to all consumer credit providers in Policy Statement PS18/19 [H].

As an independent academic researcher, Gathergood’s research [5, 6] has also impacted policy formation through statutory channels used to convey insights co-produced with industry collaboration and data. The third research project on consumer behaviour in the credit card market drew on data resources provided by the UK credit card industry and resulted in Gathergood, together with Professor Neil Stewart, delivering representations that fed into the Financial Conduct Authority Credit Card Market Study in the form of a presentation to the FCA Credit Card Market Study team in early 2016 [I] and a subsequent consultation response submission [J]. The FCA attests that this submission “ shaped the FCA’s thinking on consumer detriment in the credit card market and the design of potential remedies” [B]. Specifically, Gathergood and Stewart’s analysis of the effects of direct debit and minimum payment rules on credit cards, drawing on insights from papers [5] and [6] were referenced by the FCA as grounds for investigating behavioural remedies in ‘nudging’ consumers to increase credit card repayments [I].

In sum, “ (Professor Gathergood) has demonstrated that he delivers – in terms of engaging and useful research output and high-quality communication of the findings – in the context of practical policy organisation” [B].