Effect of Non-formal Experiential Education on Personal Agency of Adolescent Girls in Tajikistan: Findings from a Randomized Experimental Study

Introduction Despite the claim of non-formal experiential education enhancing agency among youth, few studies offer robust evidence. Drawing from the capability approach, social cognitive theory, and experiential learning theory, we present the first experimental study in Central Asia testing the effect of experiential educational program on adolescent girls’ personal agency, including self-efficacy, future orientation, and locus of control. Methods We ran multilevel random-intercept mixed-effects models using the repeated measures data collected from 1221 school-going adolescent girls within the cluster-randomized experimental study conducted in 60 public schools in Tajikistan. Results We found significant positive effect of intervention on girls’ future planning (OR = 2.82; 95% CI = from 1.85 to 4.3; p