Expressive Skills, Academic and Noncognitive Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Chinese Schools

Last registered on May 18, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Expressive Skills, Academic and Noncognitive Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Chinese Schools
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018663
Initial registration date
May 17, 2026

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
May 18, 2026, 8:28 AM EDT

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

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Primary Investigator

Name
Shilan Feng
Affiliation
Peking University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Yu Qin
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Ya Tan
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Fan Zhang
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-05-23
End date
2027-07-01
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study will evaluate the causal impact of a structured expressive skills training program on students’ academic performance. We aim to conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) across around primary and junior secondary schools in China, involving over 6000 students. Classes are randomly assigned to either an expressive skills training program (treatment classes) or a control group. The intervention consists of six structured training sessions delivered over a 3-month period, together with a list of assignments. The control group receives time-matched routine schooling.
We will measure expressive ability, non-cognitive skills, and academic performance at the student level using multiple informants, including academic scores, student self-reports, parent surveys, and teacher evaluations. Data will be collected before and after the intervention. The primary objective is to assess whether expressive skills training
improves cognitive and noncognitive performances.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Feng, Shilan et al. 2026. "Expressive Skills, Academic and Noncognitive Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Chinese Schools." AEA RCT Registry. May 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18663-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-05-23
Intervention End Date
2027-07-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Expressive ability measures
Academic performance
Non-Cognitive Skills Index
Children-parent and children-teacher relationships, etc
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Children's belief, personality and mental measures
Parents' belief measures
Teacher's belief measures,etc
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Randomization will be stratified by class level. Baseline measures of primary outcomes will be collected before the intervention, and an endline survey will be conducted after the intervention to track changes in outcomes.
Treatment Group
Students receive:
1.Six structured expressive skills sessions delivered over 3 months. Curriculum includes verbal expression, structured argumentation, etc.
2.Two months of guided expressive practice assignments (e.g., recorded speech tasks).

Control Group
Students receive:
1. Daily schooling.
2. No expressive output requirements.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Class
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Over 200 classes
Sample size: planned number of observations
Over 6000 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Overall, approximately half of the classes are assigned to the treatment group and half to the control group. In addition, treatment intensity varies across schools through a cross-randomized assignment design.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Peking University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2026-05-12
IRB Approval Number
IRB00001052-26035
Analysis Plan