Taabo Tutoring Study

Official title

Tutoring and Targeting to Reduce Secondary School Dropout in Côte d'Ivoire

Overview

Secondary school completion rates remain low in many low- and middle-income countries, including Côte d'Ivoire. Limited progression through lower secondary education may affect future educational and employment opportunities. In rural areas, pass rates on the Grade 10 national examination are modest, and some students leave school before completing lower secondary education. This study will evaluate whether tutoring improves academic outcomes and school continuation in the Taabo region of Côte d'Ivoire. Approximately 1,000 adolescents will participate in two related substudies. The first substudy will include 500 Grade 10 students identified by schools as being at risk of not passing the national examination. The second substudy will include 500 adolescents who previously attended Grades 7-9 but are not currently enrolled in school. Within each substudy, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: peer tutoring, teacher tutoring, or no additional tutoring (control group). Students assigned to tutoring may receive up to 15 sessions over approximately 6 to 8 months. Tutoring sessions will focus on reviewing core curriculum content, preparing for examinations, and strengthening academic skills. The primary outcomes are (1) passing the Grade 10 national examination and (2) enrollment in lower secondary school in the following academic year. Secondary outcomes include grade progression, study time, academic confidence, cost-effectiveness of the tutoring models, academic and well-being outcomes among peer tutors, and other longer-term outcomes (educational attainment, early family formation, mental health).

Detailed description

Secondary school completion rates remain limited in many low- and middle-income countries, including Côte d'Ivoire. In rural areas, a substantial share of students do not pass the Grade 10 national examination, and some adolescents leave school before completing lower secondary education. There is limited evidence on the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different tutoring models at the secondary level in West Africa, particularly for both currently enrolled students and adolescents who are no longer enrolled.

This study is a randomized controlled education trial conducted in approximately 25 lower secondary schools in the Taabo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) area of Côte d'Ivoire. The study consists of two related substudies.

Substudy 1 focuses on Grade 10 students identified by schools as being at risk of not passing the national examination. Substudy 2 focuses on adolescents who previously attended Grades 7-9 but are not currently enrolled in school at the start of the academic year.

Within each substudy, approximately 500 eligible participants will be enrolled and randomly assigned at the individual level to one of three groups:

* Peer tutoring * Teacher tutoring * Control (no additional tutoring provided by the study)

Tutoring will be delivered in small groups and may include up to 15 sessions over approximately 6 to 8 months. Peer tutors will be selected from higher-performing students nominated by school principals and randomly chosen among eligible candidates. Teacher tutoring will be delivered by trained teachers following structured lesson plans emphasizing curriculum review and examination preparation.

Primary outcomes are:

* Passing the Grade 10 national examination (Substudy 1) * Enrollment in lower secondary school in the following academic year (Substudy 2)

Secondary outcomes include grade progression, attendance, study time, academic confidence, and cost-effectiveness of each tutoring model. The study will also assess academic performance and well-being among peer tutors and longer-term outcomes.

Study documents will be retained for 15 years to assess long-term education and health impacts of the intervention (educational attainment, early family formation, mental health). Long-term follow-up will occur only for participants who are registered in the Taabo HDSS.

Results from this trial will contribute evidence on scalable tutoring approaches to improve secondary school progression in rural West African settings.

Interventions

• Behavioral Peer tutoring
  Peer tutoring led by older and higher-performing peers from the same school implemented in small groups (e.g., 3-6 students). Tutors will be nominated by school principals and then randomly selected among eligible candidates to allow causal assessment of tutoring opportunities on tutors. Sessions will focus on: (i) reviewing core curriculum content; (ii) supporting homework and exam preparation; and (iii) building basic skills and academic confidence. Tutors will receive training on pedagogy, co
• Behavioral Teacher tutoring
  Teacher tutoring led by trained teachers and implemented in small groups (e.g., 3-6 students). Teachers will follow structured lesson plans emphasizing remedial instruction and exam-relevant material. Sessions will emphasize active learning, practice exercises, and frequent low-stakes assessments. Teacher tutoring will involve up to 15 sessions, typically 1-2 sessions per week. For budgeting and planning, we assume an average of 10 sessions per student, with flexibility to increase up to 15 sess

Primary outcome measures

• Proportion of participants passing the Grade 10 national examination (Substudy 1) [Time frame: Up to 12 months after enrollment]
• Proportion of participants enrolled in lower secondary school in the following academic year (Substudy 2) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]

Secondary outcome measures (12)

• Proportion of participants enrolled in senior secondary school following the Grade 10 examination (Substudy 1) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Proportion of participants not enrolled in any secondary institution after Grade 10 examination results (Substudy 1) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Study time, homework completion, and exam confidence (Substudy 1) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Proportion of participants promoted to the next grade at endline (Substudy 2) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• School attendance (Substudy 2) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Persistence in school at the end of the 2026/27 academic year (Substudy 2) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Term and final grades (Tutors) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Examination pass rates (Tutors) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Educational aspirations and perceived returns to schooling (Tutors) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Time allocation, stress, and well-being (Tutors) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Cost per additional student passing the Grade 10 national examination (Substudy 1) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]
• Cost per additional student enrolled and cost per additional student promoted (Substudy 2) [Time frame: Up to 18 months after enrollment]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria (Substudy 1)

• Enrolled in Grade 10 (troisième) during the 2025/26 school year in one of the 25 participating lower secondary schools.
• Identified by school principals as weak performers at high risk of failing the final grade 10 exam (based on exam scores, teacher assessments, or internal academic performance indicators).
• Males or females, aged 12 years or older at enrollment.
• Residing in the Taabo HDSS catchment area.
• Able to participate in small-group tutoring sessions.
• Parent or guardian provides written informed consent for minors; student provides written assent.

Inclusion Criteria (Substudy 2)

• Attended Grades 7-9 (6e, 5e, or 4e) during the 2025/26 academic year.
• Did not re-enroll in any lower secondary school at the start of the 2026/27 academic year, verified through school records and home visits.
• Males or females aged 12 years or older at enrollment.
• Residing in the Taabo HDSS catchment area.
• Able to participate in tutoring sessions organized after recruitment.
• Parent or legal guardian provides written informed consent for minors; student provides written assent.

Exclusion Criteria (both substudies)

• Individuals with severe cognitive or physical disabilities that would prevent meaningful participation in tutoring, based on information from parents, principals, and teachers.
• Adolescents or families planning to move out of the study area during the intervention period.
• For Substudy 2 only: adolescents who have already enrolled in an alternative education or vocational training programme at baseline.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

Côte d’Ivoire · 1 center

• Centre suisse de recherche scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire — Taabo

Publications

• Kone S, Baikoro N, N'Guessan Y, Jaeger FN, Silue KD, Furst T, Hurlimann E, Ouattara M, Seka MC, N'Guessan NA, Esso EL, Zouzou F, Boti LI, Gonety PT, Adiossan LG, Dao D, Tschannen AB, von Stamm T, Bonfoh B, Tanner M, Utzinger J, N'Goran EK. Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: The Taabo Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Cote d'Ivoire. Int J Epidemiol. 2015 Feb;44(1):87-97. do PMID 25433704

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07486778 · IRB-25-0633

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗