Brain Games as a Low-Cost Targeted, Complementary Intervention: Impacts on Children’s Social-Emotional Outcomes among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

• In Event: Refugee education: SEL and language interventions for learning

Proposal

Background
Programs targeting social-emotional learning (SEL) have demonstrated measurable effects on improving children’s social-emotional and academic outcomes . However, designing and implementing such programs is challenging in conflict-affected settings. Embedding low-cost programs targeting specific developmental SEL skills as a complement to existing academic services may be a strategy to maximize efficiency in program delivery and support holistic development of refugee children.

As a part of a randomized-controlled trial of a non-formal academic retention support program, this study evaluates the impact of targeted SEL activities (Brain Games) as compared to academic retention support alone.

Setting and Intervention
This study utilizes data from 66 Syrian refugee communities in Akkar and Bekaa regions of Lebanon enrolled in Learning in Healing Classroom programming (n= 4,592 children; 49% girls). Participants range in age from 5 to 16 years (M=9.96, SD=2.38), attending first to ninth grade in Lebanese public school.
Brain Games are short, game-like activities implemented during subject transitions using movement and play to build core executive functioning skills: working memory, attention, and inhibitory control. Brain Games were embedded in a LIHC retention support programing for the treatment group.

Research Design, Data Collection and Analysis
Communities were randomly assigned to either LIHC only (J=33) or LIHC + SEL (J=33). Both the LIHC and the LIHC + SEL group had access to three days (8 hours) per week of LIHC curriculum—Arabic, math and second language instruction infused with general SEL principles for both Cycle 1 and 2 (16 weeks each). In addition, LIHC + SEL group had access to Brain Games activities in Cycle 2, three times per day, 90 minutes per week.

Students were individually assessed through verbal interviews by trained local assessors. We utilize the data from the midline (pre-Cycle 2) and endline (mid-Cycle 2) waves. Endline data were collected after 8-10 weeks of Cycle 2 implementation to avoid overlap with Ramadan, when attendance rate is low. Data are collected on children’s: (1) executive function, (2) emotion dysregulation and aggression , (3) Perceived public school climate and school stress (4) internalizing symptoms .

Preliminary analyses were conducted using a series of regression models with clustered standard errors. Site and child characteristics were included as covariates.

Findings
Preliminary results find no significant difference between LIHC and LIHC + Brain Games conditions in executive function measures or emotion dysregulation. However, students in LIHC + Brain Games condition were less likely to report an aggressive reaction in ambiguous social situation (b=-.15, p<.01). Interestingly, we found that that students in LIHC + Brain Games condition reporting higher level of internalizing symptoms (b=.82, p<.05) and higher level of perceived school-related stress (b=.14, p<.05), with no difference in perceived school climate.

Conclusions
Overall, we found mixed impacts of Brain Games in its short-term first-time implementation. Possible explanations, including small treatment contrast and dosage, will be explored at the conference.

Authors

• Lindsay Brown, Global TIES for Children, New York University

• Ha Yeon Kim, New York University

• Carly Tubbs Dolan, New York University Global TIES for Children

• Stephanie M Jones, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Sol Prieto Bayona, International Rescue Committee

• Jeannie Annan, International Rescue Committee

• J. Lawrence Aber, New York University Steinhardt