Influencing youths' aspirations and gender attitudes through role models: Evidence from Somali schools

Last registered on January 06, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Influencing youths' aspirations and gender attitudes through role models: Evidence from Somali schools
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006991
Initial registration date
January 06, 2021

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
January 06, 2021, 9:58 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Somalia
Region
Puntland and South Central Somalia

Primary Investigator

Name
Kipchumba Elijah Kipkech
Affiliation
BRAC
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Munshi Sulaiman
PI Affiliation
BRAC
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PI Name
Danila Serra
PI Affiliation
Texas A&M University
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PI Name
Catherine Porter
PI Affiliation
Lancaster University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2018-04-08
End date
2020-04-30
Keywords
Education, Gender
Additional Keywords
Education aspirations, gender attitudes, role models, experiment, Somalia
JEL code(s)
A22, C93, I23, I24, J16
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We conducted a field experiment in Somali schools, aimed at changing the education aspirations and gender attitudes of male and female students enrolled in elementary schools. Our sample consists of 47 primary and middle schools in four regions which were part of an existing intervention. We randomly selected 22 schools to receive a role model treatment, consisting of a college student visiting the target classrooms. Within each treatment school, we randomly selected some grades to receive a visit from a female role model and some grades to receive a visit from a male role model. The college students talked about their study journeys, their challenges and their strategies to overcome such challenges. Data collected six months after the intervention show a significant and large impact of (only) female role models on boys' and girls' attitudes toward gender equality but no impact on students' aspirations to attend college. We also collected two years after the intervention only for the oldest, graduating cohort of students, who were grade 6 at the time of the intervention. Analysis of the two-year follow up is ongoing.
External Link(s)
6-month preliminary results

Registration Citation

Citation
Porter, Catherine et al. 2021. "Influencing youths' aspirations and gender attitudes through role models: Evidence from Somali schools." AEA RCT Registry. January 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6991-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Partner

Name
Save the Children International
Type
ngo
URL
https://somalia.savethechildren.net/
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Each treatment schools received a visit from one male college student and one female college student (our role models) on the same day. The college students were of similar backgrounds and experienced similar challenges as the primary school children who we wanted them to visit. On the day of the visit, the role models talked about their study journeys, their challenges and their strategies to overcome such challenges.
Intervention Start Date
2018-04-08
Intervention End Date
2018-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student's gender attitudes and education aspirations
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Student's gender attitudes were constructed using four likert-scaled statements describing individuals attitudes toward gender equality in education and job participation. Educational aspirations was the highest level of education that a student would like to complete if nothing could stop them.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We formed 23 pairs of schools from 46 primary schools supported by Save the Children International under Norad Programme. In each pair, one school was allocated to receive a role model intervention. Each of the treated schools received a visit from one male college student and one female college student (our role models) on the same day. Each role model visited 2 grades per treated school. In the schools with grades 1-4 (17 percent) all grades were treated. In the schools with 8 grades, we treated grades 2, 4, 6, 8. By public lottery, the role models randomly selected the grades to visit from the list of treatment grades in each of the treatment school.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer and public lottery
Randomization Unit
Pairwise randomization of school pairs and role model.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
41 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
1690 students from 41 schools.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
22 treatment schools and 19 control schools
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Southern Methodist University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2018-10-03
IRB Approval Number
NA
IRB Name
Texas A&M University
IRB Approval Date
2020-04-13
IRB Approval Number
IRB2020-0399
Analysis Plan

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