The PREVIO project evaluates a school-based intervention, delivered to both teachers and parents in Tanzania, that aims to reduce physical and emotional violence in disciplining practices at school and at home. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 16 schools and more than 2,600 teachers, parents, and students, the intervention significantly reduced violent discipline and fostered more supportive, non-violent attitudes toward children. Qualitative interviews and focus groups confirmed these findings, with parents and teachers describing lasting shifts toward more respectful and constructive ways of guiding children.

The PREVIO project demonstrates a strong commitment to grassroots social sustainability by sharing findings directly with the communities involved. The prize money will directly strengthen the team’s dissemination efforts by expanding access to our research findings for the target communities via community workshops. Beyond sharing and discussing the research results, these events serve as vital feedback forums to enable community members to contribute insights that will inform planned program refinements. This participatory approach can ensure that the team’s scale-up activities are shaped by exactly those people they are designed to benefit.

The project is a collaboration between Technical University of Munich, Bielefeld University, and Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) and Dr. Manuela Fritz and Dr. Claudia Schupp are also part of the project.