Socio Emotional Education and Islamic Headscarf Use: LEAP Funds Young Researchers

Two research projects on the development of socio-emotional skills and Muslim women's instrumental use of headscarves for integration purposes are the winners of the two LEAP Student Grants awarded this year by Bocconi's Laboratory for Effective Anti-Poverty Policies.

"Ranging from €3,000 to €6,000, the grants normally serve to validate the research projects of students affiliated with LEAP with an initial data collection," explains Lucia Corno, Executive Director of the Center. In one of the two cases this year, the cost of data collection has been reduced by the use of technology, since one of the two winning PhD students will use an app to carry out a survey in Indonesia, while the other will carry out a more traditional collection in Vietnam.

Jacqueline Nguyen, a Bocconi graduate and currently a PhD student at the University of Maryland, is investigating the role of schools in the development of socio-emotional skills. Jacqueline's project involves providing socio-emotional training during English classes held by the NGO Teach for Vietnam. In the preliminary phase funded by the grant, it will investigate the relevance of the main personality traits (the so-called big five) among Vietnamese middle school students.

Naila Shofia, a PhD student at Bocconi, believes that the current interpretation of Muslim women's use of the headscarf does not grasp all its meanings. Considered as a sign of submission, at least in the Western world, according to Naila, the headscarf could often be used instrumentally by women to gain access to the job market and thus improve their level of integration. At this stage, Naila will investigate the perceptions of Indonesian men and women in this regard.