Lessons and Impacts of Ahlan Simsim TV Program in Pre-Primary Classrooms in Jordan on Children’s Emotional Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In this brief, Global TIES researchers evaluate the effects of Ahlan Simsim, a television show co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers that has been viewed by more than 23 million children across the MENA region, including 57% of displaced Syrians across Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. This study is one of the first causal impact evaluations of a mass media program that is: 1) designed for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) affected by the Syrian conflict and refugee crisis and 2) focused on preschool-age children’s emotional development. This study found positive impacts on children’s: 1) knowledge of the Ahlan Simsim TV show and characters, 2) expressive emotion recognition (ability to correctly state a pictured emotion), 3) ability to identify others’ emotions in specific social scenarios, and 4) mentions of breathing strategies as a way to manage strong emotions, one of six emotion regulation strategies targeted in the curated Ahlan Simsim curriculum.

Access the brief here.