The impact of extending school instruction time on children’s non-academic outcomes

• Applicant: Dr. Fernanda Martinez Flores
• Subject Area: Economic Policy, Applied Economics
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 511869041

In the proposed research project, I will analyze how extending schooling instruction time has an impact on children’s non-academic outcomes by focusing on: (i) child nutrition, (ii) crime, (iii) early childbearing and sexual education. In addition, I will investigate the role of schooling instruction time in the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing the effect of school day duration on the probability to return to school and to engage in child labor. For identification, I will exploit the quasi-experimental variation offered by the staggered implementation of the Full-Time School (FTS) program in Mexico implemented from 2008-to date. The FTS program shifted the duration of the school day from half-time to full-time i.e., and extension from 2 to 4 hours additional hours per day in primary and lower secondary schools. This research project contributes to the scarce literature on the impact of FTS on child welfare indicators beyond academic outcomes, in developing countries and focuses on a range of indicators that have not been analyzed previously. The main objective of this research project is an output of 4 research papers by the end of the funding time (36 months). Upon completion of the projects all data and code will be available through the FDZ Ruhr. The objectives of each working package (WP) are the following: WP1: aims to analyze the impact of FTS on nutrition and physical activity indicators. The main research question is: what is the impact of the FTS on the probability of being overweight or obese? I aim to explore potential channels such as additional time spent on physical activities at schools and meals provided in 8-hour schools. WP2: aims to analyze the impact of FTS on risky sexual behavior of teenagers. The main research questions are: do FTS have an impact on teenage pregnancy rates? Does the availability of FTS have an impact on the number of births registered by teenage mothers? I further explore if the FTS lead to a shift in the age-at-first-six, and the use and awareness of contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted diseases. WP3: aims to evaluate the impact FTS on teenage criminal activities. The main research question is: does the FTS program have an impact on reported property crime, violent crime, drug-related crimes, and homicide rates (violent deaths) of adolescents considering the school calendar year? I will further provide empirical evidence on conviction and incarceration rates of teenagers. WP4: aims at evaluating the impact of the FTS program on the returns to school and child labor indicators after the Covid-19 crisis. The main research question is: what is the overall impact of the Covid-19 crisis on school enrollment in basic education and child labor rates? I aim to analyze if longer school days hinder or /facilitate the return to school and if there are heterogeneities with respect to schools offering subsidized meals, as well as gender differentials.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants