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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

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

Conditions
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Adolescent Behavior, Life Skills, Digital Skills, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Earning Outcomes

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Safe Space based life skills training program
* Other: Safe Space based life skills training program + Digital Skills


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Enrolled in study schools Enrolled in Senior Secondary 1 level Parental consent Exclusion Criteria: -

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 15 Years
Maximum Age: 20 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Enrolled participants are randomized to Treatment 1 (Life skills only) Treatment 2 (Life skills + digital skills) and control group (No intervention).
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Treatment 1 - Receives Safe Space based life skills training program<br>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<br>* 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.<br>|
| Experimental: Treatment 2 - Recieves Safe Space based life skills training program + digital literacy training<br>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<br>* 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.<br>Other: Safe Space based life skills training program + Digital Skills<br>* 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.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control - No intervention<br>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?
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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 |