The Relationship between Educational Television and Mathematics Capability in Tanzania

Previous studies have often demonstrated that educational television can have a positive effect on learning outcomes in low-income countries when delivered in controlled settings. However, existing research in low-resource contexts has scarcely considered the association between child outcomes and viewing in usual environments (ie, at their home, a friend's home or a relative's home). This lack of research is striking, as evidence from controlled settings might provide limited information on the effects of normal television exposure. This paper, therefore, investigates the relationship between normal exposure to a popular Tanzania-produced cartoon, "Ubongo Kids" and mathematics capability, as represented by plausible values derived from an item response theory model applied to children's test responses. Cross-sectional investigation of a sample of 38 682 Tanzanian children suggested normal educational television exposure to be significantly associated with mathematics capability, when controlling for age, sex, school enrolment, Kiswahili attainment and household fixed effects. While cross-sectional results are not necessarily causal, the findings in this paper broadly correspond with those from previous designs using repeated observations. What is more, considering association results alongside cost and viewership estimates suggests television-based interventions to be highly cost effective.