3EA E-Cubed

Evidence-based guidance is critical for stakeholders to make informed decisions on investment and policy, as well as on program design and implementation to improve children's academic and social-emotional learning (SEL) for children affected by conflict and crisis. 3EA E^3 project, titled "Understanding Children’s Holistic Development, Program Implementation, and Effectiveness in Context: Evidence to Guide Investments in Social Emotional Learning" set out to provide such guidance based on rigorous research conducted in three contexts: with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, Nigerian refugee and Nigerian host-country children in Niger affected by Boko Haram attacks, and children in post-ebola Sierra Leone.

This project leveraged the data collected for the Education in Emergencies, Evidence for Action (3EA) Impact Initiative, which evaluated impacts of remedial education and social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions with more than 17,000 children in partnership with the International Rescue Committee. With the 3EA data, and funded by the E-Cubed research envelope, we were able to examine how SEL programming supported children’s holistic learning and development, in what conditions and for whom.

This project extended our current knowledge from the outcomes in 3EA by examining three primary questions:

1. What is normative and adaptive for children’s learning and development in three crisis-affected contexts with unique cultures and conditions?

2. How do implementation factors, such as dosage and quality of SEL practices and programs, affect intended results?

3. Does the impact of SEL programming vary according to the level of children’s exposure to adversity?

In addressing these questions, we explored what children’s learning and development looked like under conditions of extreme adversity and in diverse socio-cultural settings. We also investigated how to best support children’s holistic learning and development in such settings.

Our hope for the findings of this study were that they be used and communicated to (a) catalyze investment in education programming and research; (b) increase public awareness on the importance of education; (c) build robust evidence base for supporting education and child development; and (d) improve design and implementation of academic and SEL programming for children affected by conflict and crisis.

In this project, we generate, collectively interpret, clearly communicate evidence about the implementation of SEL strategies and children’s academic, cognitive, and social-emotional development. The resulting work not only informs the design of culturally-grounded SEL programs that are more impactful, easily implemented, and targeted than prevailing methods, but also to support evidence-informed investment and policy decisions.