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Field
Abstract
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Before
The labor market in Saudi Arabia has changed dramatically over the past twenty years, with rapid
increases in women’s employment in the private sector. We investigate the role of mentoring in helping
female high school students navigate this new economic reality. We use a random- priority invitation
design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for female high school
students in Riyadh. The program provides training and mentoring aimed at supporting students in
completing high school and making informed post-graduation plans. The study investigates the impact
of the program on the educational and career aspirations of participants.
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After
The labor market in Saudi Arabia has changed dramatically over the past twenty years, with rapid
increases in women’s employment in the private sector. We investigate the role of mentoring in helping
female high school students navigate this new economic reality. We use a random- priority invitation
design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for high school
students in Riyadh. The program provides training and mentoring aimed at supporting students in
completing high school and making informed post-graduation plans. The study investigates the impact
of the program on the educational and career aspirations of participants.
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Last Published
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Before
June 06, 2023 03:58 PM
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After
July 05, 2023 10:38 AM
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Intervention (Public)
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Before
We use a random-priority invitation design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for low-income female high school students in Riyadh.
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After
We use a random-priority invitation design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for low-income high school students in Riyadh.
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Intervention Start Date
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June 12, 2023
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After
July 15, 2023
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Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
The study investigates the impact of the program on the educational and career aspirations of participants.
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After
The study investigates the impact of the program on the educational and career aspirations of participants. Our primary outcomes of interest include whether participation in the program is associated with effects on willingness to work, attain additional training or internships, further study, graduate from high school or stay at home (unemployed) after high school graduation.
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Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
We use a random-priority invitation design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for low-income female high school students in Riyadh.
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After
We use a random-priority invitation design to estimate the effects of an after-school formal mentoring program for low-income high school students in Riyadh.
We partnered with a non-profit organization in Riyadh to embed our study in their routine data collection and evaluation research program in order to evaluate their mentoring program for high school students. Our pilot study used the same random-priority invitation design when the program was limited to female students. We therefore base our expanded full study on the pilot but evaluate the program as expanded to include male high school students as well.
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Planned Number of Clusters
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Before
About 200 students will be surveyed every year.
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After
About 60 students will be surveyed every year for about 5 years.
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Planned Number of Observations
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We plan to collect data on about 200 students over 5 years for around 1000 students.
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We plan to collect data on about 60 students over 5 years for around 300 students total.
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Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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1000 students
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300 students
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Power calculation: Minimum Detectable Effect Size for Main Outcomes
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Before
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Our power calculations are based the results of the pilot study conducted in 2019. In the pilot we began
with a baseline of 61 candidates our partner had identified as eligible to fill 19 open spots in the mentoring
program. We randomized invitation priority among this group, and our partner extended invitations in
this random-priority order. After approximately 40% attrition between baseline and endline we
completed the study with a sample of 31 matched responses from girls in the randomized priority group.
Our pilot started with 51 candidates who completed the baseline survey. At the same scale it would take
six to seven years of enrollment to detect the desired effect size across all outcomes. The power of the
study could be scaled up either by increasing the number of treatment spots available and increasing the
size of the control group or by increasing the size of the control group itself, and we are in conversation
with our partner on the feasibility of expanding the sample in these ways, with targeted larger samples
reflected in the budget. For most outcomes these MDEs are conservatively low relative to the estimates
in the pilot, so it is likely that the study would reach statistical significance earlier than expected. Between
efforts to expand the sample and reaching less conservative target we are expecting that five years would
be enough data collection for all variables of interest.
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Secondary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
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After
A secondary outcome of interest is whether heterogeneous support from family members, including siblings participating in the same mentoring program, moderate the impact of the program on plans after high school graduation (including willingness to work, attain additional training or internships, further study, graduate from high school or stay at home.
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