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.

For more information about the Ahlan Simsim project and Global TIES for Children, as well as access to the other research briefs in this series, visit: https://globaltiesforchildren.nyu.edu/as-findings