Tarbiyya: Applying Indigenous Character Training Strategies to Improve Resilience

Millions of Northern Nigerian children are regularly exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, poverty, and violence. Toxic stress resulting from exposure to ACEs threatens lifelong physical and mental health. Learning resilience can mitigate the adverse health outcomes caused by toxic stress, enabling children to adapt despite the challenges they face. This study aims to create and evaluate two curricula which will foster character strengths related to children’s resilience and help develop nurturing teacher-pupil relations.

The Tarbiyya curriculum, targeting children (3-7 years), will focus on enhancing personal character strengths related to resilience: hope, joy, and perseverance. The curriculum will include indigenous stories, songs, games, handicrafts, and a cultural festival emphasizing each character strength. The Kauna curriculum, which targets primary school teachers, will seek to enhance character strengths related to positive relationships: love, social intelligence, and teamwork.

It is hypothesized that both curricula will boost children’s resilience.

Outputs include the two curricula freely available on a project website, three manuscripts describing the instruments' efficacy results and validity, and dissemination workshops for educators and educational stakeholders.

If proven, this research project directed by Katrina A. Korb of the Early Years Nigeria Initiative, will benefit the 1,250 students who participate in the pilot. In addition to the 30 teachers participating in the Kauna curriculum, 800 other teachers will gain an improved understanding of resilience and character strengths through dissemination workshops. Once proven and tested, educators and  researchers throughout northern Nigeria and globally will benefit from findings on the impact of character strengths enhanced by indigenous methods on improving resilience.