A Journey to Unity - A Teacher-led Preschool Program to Foster Social Cohesion

Last registered on March 10, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
A Journey to Unity - A Teacher-led Preschool Program to Foster Social Cohesion
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015039
Initial registration date
December 20, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
December 20, 2024, 3:10 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
March 10, 2025, 3:24 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Maike Schlosser
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Pia Schilling
PI Affiliation
University of Konstanz
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Patrick Schneider
PI Affiliation
University of Konstanz
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Christina Felfe
PI Affiliation
University of Konstanz
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-02-19
End date
2025-05-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to explore whether fostering socio-emotional skills in preschool children (ages 3-6) can promote social cohesion. Conducted in preschools in Germany, the key component of the intervention among treatment preschools constists of an 8-week, teacher-led comprehensive curriculum that addresses different aspects of social cohesion each week and offers practical advice for handling daily situations. The overarching theme of the program emphasizes that, despite individual differences, we share commonalities, fostering a sense of unity among the children.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Felfe, Christina et al. 2025. "A Journey to Unity - A Teacher-led Preschool Program to Foster Social Cohesion." AEA RCT Registry. March 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15039-1.2
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
We have developed a three-stage program for preschools to foster social cohesion among preschool children. The program includes:
1. Information letter/Policy Brief: A document provided to preschool principals and teachers that highlights the issue of systematic discrimination among young children.
2. Information event: A short workshop to discuss the findings in the policy brief with teachers, gather their feedback and introduce the preschool program followed by a social dinner.
3. Eight-week Preschool Program “KIDS’nGROUPS Reise”: A comprehensive curriculum that addresses different aspects of social cohesion each week and offers practical advice for handling daily situations.
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-26
Intervention End Date
2025-03-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The main outcome variable is the in-group bias in children.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
For children (collected in March/April 2025 with incentivized experiments)
- Perspevtive taking ability
- Belief in similarities
- Time allocation/ Play dates
- Likeability

For preschool teachers (online survey):
- Self-efficacy in pedagogical work
- Teachers view socio-emotional skills as important skills in children
- Experience of positive behavior change in children

Interim Survey (online survey):
During the 8-week program, we provide teachers at the treatment preschools with weekly interim surveys. Each week,
teachers can provide feedback on their satisfaction with the activities, the ease of implementation, and any suggestions for improvements. The interim surveys aim to gather feedback from the teachers and determine who actively implemented the preschool program. We will perform a
heterogeneity analysis to examine whether completing the surveys (and thus conducting the program) results in differential treatment effects compared to not having filled out the interim surveys.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We collected baseline data of children and teachers in February and March of 2024. Following, preschools were randomized into either the treatment or the control group. Treatment preschools receive a three-stage intervention. Interim surveys will be collected in January 2025 to measure compliance. Endline data will be collected in March and April of 2025.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
We randomize our preschools into a treatment and a control group. The randomization is done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Preschools are randomly assigned to either the treatment group (which receives the intervention) or the comparison group (which does not). We create strata of the city areas as well as whether the preschool has an above or below median groupiness of children and an above or below median size.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Clustered at the preschool level. 99 preschools
Sample size: planned number of observations
We plan to reach about 3,500 children as well as 300 teachers in our endline survey.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
50 preschools were randomized into the treatment and 49 preschools into the control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB of University of Konstanz
IRB Approval Date
2024-11-15
IRB Approval Number
IRB Statement 39/2024
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials