Gender Gaps in Socioemotional Skills: Evidence from the Classroom
Using repeated classroom assessments of socioemotional skills for more than 1,100 adolescents in 40 secondary schools, this paper documents significant gender differences in self- and peer evaluations. Conditional on teacher and peer ratings, female students systematically underrate themselves in socioemotional domains culturally stereotyped as masculine—specifically Emotional Management and Thinking Abilities. Conversely, peer evaluations reveal a robust and novel female–female premium: female students consistently assign significantly higher ratings (0.21–0.37 SD) to their female classmates across all socioemotional domains. These patterns replicate when teacher scores are replaced by external observers, in a lab-in-the-field setting, and under a validated survey-based measure of socioemotional skills. Whereas prior literature extensively documents gender gaps in self- and peer-assessments of cognitive skills, this study provides novel evidence of similar asymmetries in adolescents’ assessments of socioemotional competencies. These findings expand the scope of gendered evaluation dynamics in formative educational environments and highlight early adolescence as a policy-relevant window for targeted interventions addressing gender gaps in self and peer perceptions.
Clean Technology to Fuel Improved Living Standards: Uganda Energy Access Scale-up Project: Behavioral Diagnostics Note eMBeD brief Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group, 2021 (with Jonathan d'Entremont Coony, Samantha De Martino, Joana Isabel Sousa Lourenco)
Households in refugee settlements in Uganda continue to rely on kerosene, dry cell battery torches, and firewood to meet their lighting and other energy needs despite the availability of solar home system options in the market. Multiple barriers contribute to low rates of uptake and sustained use of solar home systems in refugee settlements. Today, Uganda is the country hosting the highest number of refugees in Africa and the third highest in the world. Nearly 150,000 refugees are hosted in the Kyangwali settlement in Western Uganda, and 83,000 in the Rhino Camp in Northern Uganda, which fall under the catchment area of this study. While such an open refugee policy has been lauded by international organizations and other countries, it has also created stress on the limited resources available in the country especially its natural resources in the form of a fast depleting forest cover. This diagnostic note examines the behavioral barriers to uptake and sustained use of Solar Home Systems (SHS) in refugee settlements in Uganda.
The Impact of Formative Assessment of Behavior-Based Socioemotional Skills on Students' Outcomes in the Short and Long Run (with Caterina Calsamiglia, Giacomo De Giorgo, Laia Navarro-Sola)
It is widely recognized that the integration of socioemotional skills, such as perseverance, motivation, and teamwork, into educational curricula is critical for improving life outcomes and reducing social inequalities. This study evaluates the impact of a targeted intervention where teachers were trained and mentored to incorporate formative assessments of socioemotional skills into their classroom practices. Using a proprietary digital application, teachers observed, assessed, and provided feedback on students' socioemotional behaviors. The randomized control trial was implemented in 40 secondary schools across Catalonia, primarily serving at-risk student populations. Our findings indicate that the intervention significantly improved classroom management, reducing teacher time spent on disciplinary actions by 42%, and enhanced teacher-student relationships, as evidenced by positive changes in students' subjective perceptions of their teachers. However, no short-term changes were observed in students' socioemotional skills or educational outcomes. The findings suggest that there is potential for such pedagogical strategies to improve educational environments, particularly for at-risk students.