Learning Outcomes & Social-Emotional Well-Being
Assessing knowledge-based competence and well-being across LEARN's network of community schools in Afghanistan
As part of the research conducted at LEARN, we assessed students’ knowledge-based competence in core subjects, including English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, alongside their social and emotional well-being. Data were collected from both students and teachers. The findings are being used to inform curriculum revisions so it better reflects the needs of learners and educators. The social and emotional well-being component focused on positive and challenging emotions, perceptions of support, engagement with learning, and a sense of belonging.
Student achievement assessed in five core academic subjects:
We examined both positive and challenging dimensions of well-being:
Positive Emotions
Joy, hope, pride, and motivation in learning
Challenging Emotions
Stress, anxiety, frustration, and fear
Supportive feeling
Support from teachers, family, and peers
Engagement with Learning
Attention, persistence, and participation
Sense of Belonging
Feeling accepted and valued in school
Research Team
Ateffa Jalali
Ateffa Jalali is the Research and Evaluation Lead at LEARN. She also teaches part-time in the English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) department at Montgomery College in Maryland. She is a Ph.D. student in the International Education Development program at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan (distance program). She holds a Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English for speakers of other Languages) from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Her research focuses on girls’ education in Afghanistan, with particular attention to the role of technology and online learning in conflict-affected settings and under restrictions on formal education.
Masoma Hamidi
Masoma Hamidi is a student of Information Systems at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. She is currently working with LEARN as a Data Collection Officer, collecting data from students and teachers for research purposes. She has over two years of teaching experience in Afghanistan, where she worked as a teacher with LEARN in Bamyan, and she also taught several subjects online with LEARN in early 2025. Her interests include data-driven research, ethical data collection, and the use of technology to support educational research.
Data Confidentiality
The data itself can only be shared after we have published the paper as a whole. We are committed to rigorous academic peer review before public release of our research findings.