Learning Camp, Language of Instruction, and Education Outcomes: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Malawi

Hyuncheol Bryant Kim and Seonghoon Kim

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2026, vol. 74, issue 4, 1353 - 1375

Abstract: We conducted a randomized experiment to study the effects of a summer learning camp and the language of instruction on education outcomes. The program, covering social studies and mathematics, provided additional high-quality learning time for fourth and fifth graders in Malawi. The program significantly increased test scores in social studies and mathematics (0.24–0.36 standard deviations). We find suggestive evidence that the effect on test scores in social studies was greater for students instructed in Chichewa, the local language, than for those instructed in English. However, we find no such evidence of differential effects on test scores in mathematics by the language of instruction.

Date: 2026
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