An evaluation of the Superpowers Program on Philippine kindergarteners
Project Details
This evaluation, funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Superpowers Program, a pilot initiative developed by the Power of Zero, in collaboration with Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA). The program, designed to enhance young children’s social-emotional learning (SEL) and digital literacy, was implemented in two regions in the Philippines including Quezon City and Batangas. It focused on developing 12 core character strengths such as resilience, kindness, emotional regulation, and critical thinking, as well as the capacity of parents and teachers to support children’s online and offline experiences.
Using a mixed-methods, single-group pre-post design, the evaluation explored perceived program impact based on data from teachers and parents involved in the initiative. Quantitative data were collected through the Children’s Online Lives Survey, the Character Strengths Survey (validated through Rasch analysis), and a post-intervention survey. Qualitative data, on the other hand, were collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with both groups following program completion.
Overall, quantitative findings revealed significant improvements across all four targeted SEL traits, namely resilience, kindness, emotional regulation, and critical thinking, based on pre-post teacher assessments. FGDs further highlighted positive behavioural changes in children and increased adult confidence in guiding children’s digital lives. Our analysis also revealed a number of suggested improvements, such as more age-appropriate, hands-on activities, greater contextualisation to the Filipino setting, and broader reach across regions and grade levels.
This evaluation contributes to the emerging evidence-base supporting early SEL and digital literacy interventions. It highlights the importance of equipping educators and parents with practical tools to promote children’s well-being in digital environments and offers recommendations to strengthen and scale the Superpowers Program.
For further details on this program and our evaluation please refer to the following: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/blog/power-of-zero-global-innovations-for-character-development
Researchers
Professor Therese N. Hopfenbeck (Principal Investigator)
Funding
Templeton World Charity Foundation
Research Outcomes
Learnings from the Superpowers Pilot Program in the Philippines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvxXg7v0OR4&t=25s
Published Research
Luo, R., Sun, S. Z., Carter, E., & Hopfenbeck, T. N. (2025). Building resilience, emotional regulation, kindness, and critical thinking in the digital age: An evaluation of the Superpowers Program on Philippine kindergarteners. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2025.100479 (Open Access)
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Evaluation of the Superpowers Program: