Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/299415 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IDB Working Paper Series No. IDB-WP-1585
Publisher: 
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC
Abstract: 
After-school programs (ASP) that keep youth protected while engaging them in socio-emotional learning might address school-based violent behaviors. This paper experimentally studies the socio-emotional-learning component of an ASP targeted to teenagers in public schools in the most violent neighborhoods of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Participant schools were randomly assigned to different ASP variations, some of them including psychologybased interventions. Results indicate that including psychology-based activities as part of the ASP increases by 23 percentage points the probability that students are well-behaved at school. The effect is driven by the most at-risk students. Using data gathered from task-based games and AI-powered emotion-detection algorithms, this paper shows that improvement in emotion regulation is likely driving the effect. When comparing a psychology-based curriculum aiming to strengthen participants' character and another based on mindfulness principles, results show that the latter improves violent behaviors while reducing school dropout.
Subjects: 
After-school programs
Psychology-based interventions
School-based violence
Emotion regulation
JEL: 
I29
K42
I25
D87
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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