Collaborative learning in the Vietnam Escuela Nueva Model and students’ learning behaviors: A mixed methods longitudinal study

We study how Vietnam’s Escuela Nueva, a pedagogical reform that promotes participatory and collaborative learning in primary schools, affects students’ learning behaviors in short and long run. Using a propensity score matching approach, we find that the model increases the likelihood of giving and receiving feedback from peers as well as asking questions in class. The peer-learning effects appear to persist in the long run as students enter lower secondary school. Qualitative interviews with lower secondary teachers and school principals also provide evidence of these long-term effects. However, teachers also highlighted important concerns of this model. •We evaluated a pedagogical reform that promotes participatory and collaborative learning in primary schools.•Using a propensity score matching model, we find that the model increases peer-learning activities in the short run.•Some peer-learning effects appear to persist in the long run.•Qualitative interviews with teachers and school principals added important context around the reform.