The Relationship Between School Quality and Social-emotional Skills - Evidence from Cambodia

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  In Roundtable Session: An International View of Social Emotional Learning

Abstract

This paper investigates whether higher-quality schools, measured by test-score value-added, are also associated with students' early adulthood socio-emotional skills (SES) in a lower middle-income country. This analysis uses three waves of panel data from Cambodia, following students from primary school into early adulthood. SES outcomes are measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and a Big Five personality inventory. We find that students who attended higher value-added schools scored significantly better on SES measures, particularly in traits related to prosocial behavior and emotional regulation. These relationships do not vary significantly by gender or economic status, suggesting school quality benefits are broadly shared. Our findings underscore the potential for value-added measures to capture co-production of test-scores and SES.

Author

• Bismah Tahir, Vanderbilt University