Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment: Impact Evaluation of a Safe Space-Based Life Skills Training and Digital Literacy Training in Nigeria Space-Based Life Skills Training and Digital Literacy Training in Nigeria

Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment: Impact Evaluation of a Safe Space-Based Life Skills Training and Digital Literacy Training in Nigeria

The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial in secondary schools in Nigeria to evaluate the impact of school-based life skills training delivered in safe spaces with and without digital literacy training. This study aims to estimate the causal impacts of the training on adolescents' school performances and retention, socio-emotional skills, digital skills, health, marriage, fertility, and labor market outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Adolescent Behavior; Sexual and Reproductive Health; Life Skills; Digital Skills; Earning Outcomes
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Safe Space based life skills training program; Other: Safe Space based life skills training program + Digital Skills

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate the impact of a safe-space based life skills training program as well as a combination of life skills and digital literacy training programs on adolescent girls' empowerment, education, economic and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The interventions form two sub-components of the Adolescent Girls' Initiative for Learning and Empowerment project. The interventions will be delivered to secondary school girls in Northern Nigeria.

The study will be conducted in the Kaduna, Katsina and Kano states of Nigeria. The study has a randomized controlled trial research design where schools are randomly allocated to three groups. Girls in schools assigned to the first treatment group will receive the safe-space based life skills training program. Schools allocated to the second treatment group will deliver a digital literacy training program along with a safe-space based life skills training program. The third group of schools will receive neither training program until the completion of the study. Girls between the age of 15 - 20 form the target group of the study.

The study will evaluate the impact of (i) a safe space-based life skills training program on adolescent girls' empowerment, education, economic and sexual and reproductive health outcomes; and (ii) a combination of a safe-space based life skills and digital literacy training programs on adolescent girls' empowerment, education, economic and sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

A total of 8,463 girls are drawn from 273 schools in the three states. The study will conduct baseline, midline and endline surveys by interviewing the girls and their respective caregivers. The baseline survey is conducted before the intervention roll-out. The midline survey will be conducted six months after intervention completion, while the endline survey will be conducted two years after the completion of the intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 8463
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Adiam Hagos Hailemicheal, MSc; Phone Number: +17038431640; Email: ahailemicheal@worldbank.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Wei Chang, PhD; Phone Number: +13143232771; Email: wchang3@worldbank.org

Study Locations

• Nigeria
  • Abuja, Nigeria
    • Recruiting
    • World Bank Group
    • Contact: Ayodele Fashogbon, PhD; Phone Number: +2348060387648; Email: afashogbon@worldbank.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in study schools
• Enrolled in Senior Secondary 1 level
• Parental consent

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment 1 - Receives Safe Space based life skills training program; Adolescent girls in this group receive a safe space-based life skills training program within their school.	Other: Safe Space based life skills training program; This is a Safe Space based life skills training program given to adolescent girls. Girls receive a 12 month long training on life skills such as negotiation skills, communication skills, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and climate change.
Experimental: Treatment 2 - Recieves Safe Space based life skills training program + digital literacy training; Adolescent girls in this group receive a safe space-based life skills training program and a digital literacy training program within their school.	Other: Safe Space based life skills training program; This is a Safe Space based life skills training program given to adolescent girls. Girls receive a 12 month long training on life skills such as negotiation skills, communication skills, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and climate change.; Other: Safe Space based life skills training program + Digital Skills; This is a Safe Space based life skills training program given to adolescent girls complemented with a digital literacy training program. Girls receive a 12 month long training on life skills such as negotiation skills, communication skills, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and climate change. The adolescent girls in this group also receive a digital literacy training program that covers content on word processing. database management and analysis, online marketing, online safety and programming.
No Intervention: Control - No intervention; Adolescent girls in this group receive neither the safe space-based life skills training program nor the digital literacy training program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
High school graduation	a binary indicator coded to 1 if a girl has obtained a high school diploma	24 months post intervention
School retention	a binary indicator coded to 1 if a girl is in school based on school registers	6 months post intervention
Marriage	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever been married (including cohabitation) and 0 otherwise.	6 months post intervention
Marriage	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever been married (including cohabitation) and 0 otherwise.	24 months post intervention
Engagement in non-farm income generating activities	a binary indicator coded 1 if a girl engaged in any paid non-farm activity in the last completed month	6 months post intervention
Engagement in non-farm income generating activities	a binary indicator coded 1 if a girl engaged in any paid non-farm activity in the last completed month	24 months post intervention
Digital financial literacy	a composite score based on 30 items that measure respondent's financial literacy and access to digital tools, with a higher score indicating greater literacy and access	6 months post intervention
Digital financial literacy	a composite score based on 30 items that measure respondent's financial literacy and access to digital tools, with a higher score indicating greater literacy and access	24 months post intervention
Socio-emotional skills index	a composite score based on indices that measure different socio-emotional skills, e.g., personal initiative, negotiation, decision-making, and communication	6 months post intervention
Socio-emotional skills index	a composite score based on indices that measure different socio-emotional skills, e.g., personal initiative, negotiation, decision-making, and communication	24 months post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Goal setting capacity	a composite score based on 8 items that measure the respondent's ability to set a goal	6 months post intervention
Goal setting capacity	a composite score based on 8 items that measure the respondent's ability to set a goal	24 months post intervention
Aspiration - education attainment	a variable that indicates the level of formal education the respondent would like to complete	6 months post intervention
Aspiration - education attainment	a variable that indicates the level of formal education the respondent would like to complete	24 months post intervention
Knowledge of climate change	a composite score calculated based on the correct answers to a list of questions related to climate change	6 months post intervention
Knowledge of climate change	a composite score calculated based on the correct answers to a list of questions related to climate change	24 months post intervention
Digital skills and knowledge	a composite score based on 31 items that measure respondent's technical and operational skills, information navigation and processing skills, communication and interaction skills, and content creation and production skills	6 months post intervention
Digital skills and knowledge	a composite score based on 31 items that measure respondent's technical and operational skills, information navigation and processing skills, communication and interaction skills, and content creation and production skills	24 months post intervention
Knowledge of productivity program	a composite score of items developed based on the digital literacy training curriculum	6 months post intervention
Knowledge of productivity program	a composite score of items developed based on the digital literacy training curriculum	24 months post intervention
School engagement	a composite score based on 8 items that measure respondent's school engagement	6 months post intervention
School absenteeism	number of days a girl missed in the last completed month	6 months post intervention
Enrollment in tertiary education	a binary indicator coded to 1 if a girl is enrolled in tertiary education	24 months post intervention
Sexual violence	a composite score based on the frequency of different types of sexual violence reported by the respondent	6 months post intervention
Sexual violence	a composite score based on the frequency of different types of sexual violence reported by the respondent	24 months post intervention
Bullying	a composite score based on the frequency of different types of bullying reported by the respondent	6 months post intervention
Bullying	a composite score based on the frequency of different types of bullying reported by the respondent	24 months post intervention
Knowledge on school-related gender-based violence	the fraction of correct responses to 12 questions that ask whether an act is considered violence	6 months post intervention
Knowledge on school-related gender-based violence	the fraction of correct responses to 12 questions that ask whether an act is considered violence	24 months post intervention
Gender attitudes and beliefs	a composite score for (a) gender equality beliefs based on the frequency of the different types of favorable gender equality beliefs, and (b) acceptability of IPV based on the frequency of the different types of violence girls find acceptable	6 months post intervention
Gender attitudes and beliefs	a composite score for (a) gender equality beliefs based on the frequency of the different types of favorable gender equality beliefs, and (b) acceptability of IPV based on the frequency of the different types of violence girls find acceptable	24 months post intervention
Pregnancy	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever been pregnant and 0 otherwise.	6 months post intervention
Pregnancy	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever been pregnant and 0 otherwise.	24 months post intervention
Sexual behavior - ever had sex	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever had sex and 0 otherwise.	6 months post intervention
Sexual behavior - ever had sex	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever had sex and 0 otherwise.	24 months post intervention
Drug use - ever used drug	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever used drugs and 0 otherwise	6 months post intervention
Drug use - ever used drug	a binary indicator coded 1 if an adolescent girl has ever used drugs and 0 otherwise	24 months post intervention
Health knowledge	a composite score for (a) correct answers on knowledge of SRH, menstruation, and puberty, and (b) correct answers on knowledge of nutrition	6 months post intervention
Health knowledge	a composite score for (a) correct answers on knowledge of SRH, menstruation, and puberty, and (b) correct answers on knowledge of nutrition	24 months post intervention
Sector - ICT	a binary indicator coded 1 if a girl engages in income-generating activities related to ICT	24 months post intervention
Number of days worked	number of days a girl was engaged in paid work in the last complete month	6 months post intervention
Number of days worked	number of days a girl was engaged in paid work in the last complete month	24 months post intervention
Income	aggregate income earned in the last completed month	6 months post intervention
Income	aggregate income earned in the last completed month	24 months post intervention
Savings	amount saved in the last completed month	6 months post intervention
Savings	amount saved in the last completed month	24 months post intervention
Perceived social support	mean score from the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support	6 months post intervention
Perceived social support	mean score from the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support	24 months post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: World Bank
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lea Rouanet, PhD, World Bank

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 10, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): July 19, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 19, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: AGILE IE

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: We do not plan to share individual participant data outside the team to ensure participants' privacy.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No