The impact of social and emotional learning: experimental evidence from adolescent girls in Liberia in the Sisters of Success (SOS) program

• In Event: How social and emotional learning can contribute to the promotion of gender-equitable norms, the prevention of SRGBV and improved educational outcomes

Proposal

The World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab experimentally tested the impact of the SOS program (IRC) for adolescent girls that combined mentorship and girl empowerment groups. The program was an SEL-infused intervention and served girls ages 12-15. Each girls group (sisterhood groups) consisted of 20 girls and two mentors and a social and emotional learning curriculum. The program was implemented over a 15-month period and took place in Monrovia, Liberia. The program’s goal was to empower girls by helping them develop the social and emotional skills (SES) to more effectively address the demands and challenges of everyday life, have healthier relationships, and achieve more positive outcomes, such as avoiding early school dropout and early pregnancy.

Early adolescence is a period of rapid increase in physical and mental capabilities, learning (especially social and emotional), and the emergence of new patterns of behavior [Dahl and Suleiman, 2017]. During this period, pubertal hormones trigger changes in neural circuitry, with particular impact on neural circuits involved in processing emotions, risks, rewards, and social relationships [Hertig et al 2014]. Changes include heightened desires for independence from parents, novelty and excitement; sexual maturation; and difficulties in the control of behavior and emotions [Dahl 2004]. While these biological changes trigger changes in behavior, they do not determine them: actual behavior is influenced by both biological and environmental factors [Dahl and Suleiman, 2017].

While this alone provides a strong basis of support for targeting interventions to early adolescents, especially those focused on supporting the development of SES that can help youth develop healthier relationships, manage their emotions, make better decisions, and establish positive patterns of behavior, there are additional reasons as well.

Both researchers and policymakers see promoting adolescent girl’s empowerment both as an end in and of itself, as well as a means to achieving other policy goals (such as reduced early fertility and marriage, increased schooling and incomes) [Buvinic et al 2013, Chong et al 2006, Glennerster and Takvarasha 2010, Unicef 2017, World Bank 2012, World Bank 2015]. Since most girl’s empowerment programs deliver a bundle of services, it can be difficult to know which interventions drive impacts. The SOS program was unique in that it delivered an SEL infused girl’s group (sisterhood group) facilitated by a mentor.

The evaluation yielded significant improvement in the quality of girls’ inter-personal relationships with parents and friends. It also showed that the girls improved their communication skills with their parents and peers on sex, life advice, friendship and school. Girls exhibited an increase in knowledge in contraception, STIs, and life choices. Among younger girls, we see increases in emotional support on school problems and schooling expenditures. Findings show a strong impact on educational attainment without providing any material resources. There was a 4 percentage point gain in primary school completion, and a 3 percentage point gain in transition to secondary school. Impacts are concentrated among the younger girls. This is consistent with the hypothesis that intervening earlier yields greater impacts, which this study was structured to test.

Author

• Tricia Koroknay-Palicz, World Bank