Global Mindset Initiative Paper 4: Research Infrastructure and Study Design

Abstract

To determine “what works, for whom, and under what conditions,” interventions need to be studied in diverse and heterogeneous samples. At an international scope, this degree of heterogeneity is unlikely in a single study and instead requires conducting multiple studies of the same intervention across the globe. In this paper, we provide an overview of the infrastructure required to coordinate such a series of studies, including the methodological and measurement developments that would be needed. We also discuss implications of this shared focus for the design of individual studies and the analyses of outcomes across studies. Throughout, we situate these needs in the context of developing a teacher mindset intervention that is intended to be implemented broadly in classrooms around the world.

Keywords: randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis, power analysis, Bayesian analysis, heterogeneity, R&D infrastructure

JEL Classification: Design of Experiments, Econometric and Statistical Methods: General