Amplifying Untold Stories: Harnessing Large-Scale Data and Advanced Analytics to Empower New Perspectives in Evaluation

Abstract Information: This presentation showcases a large-scale assessment study from Colombia that examined the impact of armed conflict on student learning outcomes. We leverage this study as a springboard to explore a valuable set of analytical techniques, methodologies, and tools applicable to evaluators interested in working with large-scale datasets across diverse contexts. The study capitalized on Colombian government open data detailing violent conflict events. We constructed a conflict intensity index, quantifying the varying degrees of conflict experienced across regions over time. This index formed the core of our analysis, allowing us to explore its effects on high school student academic achievement from 2000 to 2020. Our methodology, employing hierarchical linear modeling and other techniques, provides a robust framework for analyzing the intricate interactions between conflict and education. By shedding light on the complex relationship between conflict and education, this research seeks to contribute to the empirical understanding of conflict's impact and pave the way for effective conflict prevention and resolution strategies within educational domains. Aligned with the conference theme, this presentation shares the methodologies and analytical tools used in our study, aiming to enhance the capacity of researchers and evaluators to effectively engage with large-scale educational datasets. This work holds particular relevance for those in the field of educational inquiry and evaluation, offering valuable insights into both the specific effects of conflict on education and the broader application of sophisticated data analysis techniques in educational settings.