Most learners worldwide are multilingual, yet implementing multilingual education remains challenging in practice. EdTech offers an opportunity to bridge this gap and expand access for linguistically diverse learners. We conducted a quasi-experiment in Uganda with 2,931 participants enrolled in a non-formal radio- and mobile-based engineering course, where learners self-selected instruction in Leb Lango (a local language), English, or a Hybrid option combining both languages. The Leb Lango version of the course was used disproportionately by learners from rural areas, those with less formal education, and those with lower prior knowledge, broadening participation among disadvantaged learners. Moreover, the availability of Leb Lango instruction was associated with higher active participation, even among learners who registered for English instruction. Although Leb Lango learners began with lower performance, they demonstrated faster learning gains and achieved comparable final examination outcomes to English and Hybrid learners. These results suggest that providing local language options to learners is an effective way to make EdTech more accessible.

翻译：全球大多数学习者都掌握多种语言，但在实践中实施多语言教育仍面临挑战。教育科技为弥合这一差距、扩大语言多样化学习者的参与机会提供了可能。我们在乌干达对2,931名参与者开展了一项准实验研究，这些参与者注册了一门基于广播和移动设备的非正规工程课程。学习者可自主选择Leb Lango（一种当地语言）、英语或两者结合的混合模式进行学习。课程Leb Lango版本的使用者中，来自农村地区、正规教育程度较低以及先验知识水平较低的学习者比例显著偏高，这拓宽了弱势学习者的参与范围。此外，提供Leb Lango教学选项与更高的主动参与度相关，即使在注册英语课程的学习者群体中也观察到这一现象。尽管Leb Lango学习者的初始表现较低，但他们展现出更快的知识获取速度，并在最终考核中取得了与英语学习者和混合模式学习者相当的成绩。这些结果表明，为学习者提供本地语言选项是提升教育科技可及性的有效途径。