Speaker: Xia Yiming, Assistant Professor (Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics)
Host: Lan Lan, Assistant Professor (Li Anmin Institute of Economics, Liaoning University)
Guest Introduction: Wang Dandan, Assistant Professor (Li Anmin Institute of Economics, Liaoning University)
Time: Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00-11:30 (Beijing Time, GMT+8)
Venue: Conference Room on the 1st Floor, Wuzhou Garden, Chongshan Campus, Liaoning University
Online Access: Tencent Meeting ID: 730-281-8924
Language: Chinese / English
Abstract:：
We design and evaluate a socio-emotional learning (SEL) program aimed at scalable adoption in public schools in low-income settings. The intervention was implemented in a cluster-randomized trial covering 5,000 students across 136 rural Chinese primary schools. A two-year weekly curriculum, delivered by regular teachers with training and materials, improved socio-emotional outcomes by 0.117 standard deviations (SD). The program also raised math scores by 0.084 SD at endline and mitigated earthquake-related adverse effects for girls. At a cost of $43 per student, it offers a scalable and cost-effective SEL model for resource-constrained education systems.
Speaker Profile
Xia Yiming is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and holds a PhD in Economics from University College London (UCL). His primary research focus is labor economics, combining field experiments and micro-econometric methods. His work centers on three main strands: 1. The impact of family and school environments on human capital formation. 2. The development of non-cognitive skills (socio-emotional skills) and intervention mechanisms to reduce aggressive behavior. 3. The evaluation of the effectiveness of incentive-based measures in improving medication adherence and vaccination rates. He is committed to providing rigorous empirical evidence to support the formulation and optimization of relevant public policies.
