Seminar: Laia Navarro-Sola (IIES)

Abstract:

This study evaluates the effectiveness a teacher development program (TDP) aimed at promoting socio-emotional learning in secondary schools in Spain. The intervention combined structured pedagogy with educational technologies, a mobile app and web platform, to support teachers in integrating behavioral feedback of students' socio-emotional skills into their instructional practices. It was implemented through a randomized controlled trial involving 40 schools, 129 teachers, and 2,451 students. The results indicate limited effects on student outcomes, with no significant improvements in grades, attendance, or externally observed socio-emotional skills. However, treated teachers were perceived by students as more supportive. Teachers also reported reduced time spent on management and disciplinary tasks, though total classroom time declined without clear reallocation to other instructional activities. Teachers exhibited substantial heterogeneity in how they adopted the program’s components, with some prioritizing the educational technology while others focused on pedagogy. We estimate teacher-level heterogeneous treatment effects and find differential impacts based on teacher characteristics.