The choice of M.M. Chandaria Primary school as a setting for our impact study is in tandem with our aim of providing low cost revision tool for all kids. The school is located near Nairobi’s Korogocho slum, the most dangerous in Kenya. Korogocho slum is a den of criminality and drug abuse among the youth. HIV prevalence is very high and the income levels are extremely low with many families living below a dollar a day. MPrep therefore comes in handy owing to the inability of parents to buy textbooks for revision.
The study aimed at assessing the impact of MPrep as a tool of revision. The study took a period of nine months commencing 1 February 2012 to mid-November the same year. 30 pupils were picked randomly to assist in accomplishment of the study. The analysis anchored itself on content-aligned quizzes, individualized feedback, ranking and broadcast of praise as portrayed in the diagram below:
After the ranking, a broadcast of praise is sent in the form, “Congratulation to Mary Akinyi of MM Chandaria.She wass the most active user this week!Text 8512 for more chances to review with MPrep.”
The assessment of the influence of MPrep took two phases. Phase 1 scrutinized early achievements and ascertained pupil behavior. Groups of three pupils participated in study sessions ranging from ½ to 1 hour per week. During these sessions, we noted the interest level, engagement, collaborative habits among pupils and scores from MPrep quizzes. Over the first 6 weeks, student achievement rose from 62% to 66%. This demonstrates the quick adaptability by pupils to the study sessions. Broadcasting of praise messages created immense enthusiasm that motivated pupils to compete more towards getting higher rankings.
The charts below show the various feelings about MPrep:
In the second phase of the study, we analyzed the monthly achievement and behavioral data of Pupils. It was difficult to make comparisons between term one and two because exams of the later were harder. Generally, MPrep class seven pupils improved by 9 points above the average Chandaria pupil. On the other hand, class eight pupils who scored 2 points less than the average pupil did in the beginning ended up scoring 2 points above. This means MPrep has a quick response and is result oriented. On behavior, 67% of MPrep pupils study for an extra 4 hours after school as compared to 55% of pupils not on MPrep.
Class seven pupils experienced growth in every subject except Kiswahili and Science compared to an average pupil. Notable is the fact that class eight pupils improved significantly across all the subjects. In other findings, Malanga Primary improved by 11.4 percentage points in KCPE of 2012 as compared to the national exams of 2011. Muthurwa Primary improved by 15.6% in the same period. The two schools are consistent users of MPrep. More interestingly, M.M. Chandaria produced the best student in Kasarani District. Naftali Obilloh Haya scored 414 marks to become the first pupil in the school to ever join a national school. MPrep congratulates him for pulling a surprise among the 30 pupils considered for the Impact Study.
It is worth noting that pupils enjoy using MPrep. The product offers a wide spectrum for revision; it encourages healthy competition among pupils. 80 percent of pupils use MPrep at home. The platform engages the pupil and impacts on the pupil academic outcome, behavior and is a tool worth embracing by all.