Can't Wait to Learn: Improving our impact on education through peer-reviewed research
April 16, 2025
Since 2012, we have made it our priority at War Child to understand the impact of our award winning Can’t Wait to Learn (CWTL) digital learning intervention through comprehensive peer reviewed research, to continue to improve our offering to children affected by war.
Children in class learning through Can't Wait to Learn in Uganda
Impact assessment and inclusivity
In 2022, we conducted a cluster randomised control trial (cRCT) in Uganda—a research method that aims to evaluate the causal impact of an intervention—to compare Can’t Wait to Learn’s digital personalised learning with traditional classroom teaching.
We were very pleased when the study revealed that children participating in the programme made significantly larger improvements in both reading and numeracy compared to children in standard education.
Resources can be a serious barrier to education and inclusivity. In both Chad and Uganda, we have conducted value-for-money studies to evaluate and identify ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of Can't Wait to Learn. Using the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's 5E framework, we collected and analysed data and qualitative feedback to examine the programme's efficiency, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and equity.
These insights helped us ensure the programme was affordable enough to be implemented in the fragile countries where we work. They were also critical in helping us to improve the programme, and replicate it in other contexts.
The case studies that we analysed in Chad, Uganda, and Sudan also delved into the educational ecosystem and policy landscape, exploring the opportunities for education technology programmes like Can’t Wait To Learn in these particular countries.
The insights we gathered from policymakers and education specialists and the analysis of national policies have helped us create roadmaps to better integrate Can't Wait to Learn into national education systems.
Children in Chad learning the numbers in Arabic
We have also produced significant improvements in learning outcomes demonstrated via peer reviewed research in Lebanon, and Sudan, with a large scale quasi-experimental study currently underway in Ukraine.
The Global Partnership for Education and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (GPE KIX)-supported research study found that children using the platform in these countries reported greater motivation and confidence.
Parents and teachers also observed better behaviour, stronger social connections, and a renewed enthusiasm for learning from their children and students.
Can’t Wait to Learn demonstrated its inclusivity by enabling children with disabilities to engage with the content, helping them overcome learning barriers.
The programme significantly benefitted girls in Chad, where those lagging behind boys in academic performance caught up within only 4.5 months. Girls’ learning gains were four times greater than boys’ after playing the game.
Girl in class learning through Can't Wait to Learn in Chad
The path to increased impact
Our journey is not just about reflecting on past achievements; we are committed to continuous adaptation and improvement, using rigorous research to shape the future of digital personalised learning. Based on our findings so far, we will continue to refine Can’t Wait to Learn to better meet the needs of affected communities and our partners.
For example, we’ve enhanced teacher training tools, found new and better ways to engage with caregivers, learnt more about the optimal amount of time a child needs to learn with Can't Wait to Learn, and made the programme more accessible to children outside their home countries.
Most of all, our commitment to research and optimisation allows us to adapt the programme to diverse and challenging contexts while demonstrating its value to funders, implementers, and, most importantly, the children, teachers, governments and communities we serve.
With the right investment and support, Can’t Wait to Learn has the potential to become one of the most cost-effective, flexible, scalable, and impact-driven learning solutions seamlessly integrated into the education ecosystem.
Can’t Wait to Learn will, we hope, transform the lives of millions more children affected by conflicts and climate shocks. Together with our partners, we can create a bright future where no child is left behind.
