Do Curriculum-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs in Early Childhood Education and Care Strengthen Teacher Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review.

Aya Mousa,Kylie Jackson,Helen Barrett,Andrea Nolan,Claire Blewitt,Helen Skouteris,Heather Morris,Amanda O’Connor,Heidi Bergmeier

doi:10.3390/ijerph17031049

Abstract

There is growing awareness of the benefits of curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in Early Childhood Education and Care settings for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. While many SEL programs aim to strengthen teachers’ capacity and capability to foster children’s social and emotional skills, research effort has focused on understanding the impact on child outcomes, with less emphasis on improvement in teaching quality. This systematic literature review examined the effectiveness of universal curriculum-based SEL programs on teacher outcomes. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, capturing ten distinct SEL interventions. The findings suggest SEL programs may strengthen teaching quality, particularly the provision of responsive and nurturing teacher-child interactions and effective classroom management. Data were insufficient to ascertain whether participation improved teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, or social-emotional wellbeing. The potential pathways between SEL intervention, teaching quality and children’s developmental outcomes are discussed.

Highlights

Engagement in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services can strengthen children’s social-emotional and cognitive development, with benefits that persist over time [1]
Control group children participated in a business-as-usual ECEC curriculum [n = 13,35,38,39,41,43,44–51], with a smaller group of studies employing active controls including a literacy program [40], and a trust–based relational intervention with a relationship building course and daily activities [42]
Data were insufficient to ascertain whether participation in social and emotional learning (SEL) programs improved teacher-child relationship quality or teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, or social-emotional wellbeing

Summary

Introduction

Engagement in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services can strengthen children’s social-emotional and cognitive development, with benefits that persist over time [1]. The quality of these Early Learning programs is an important predictor of language and literacy skill, social-emotional competence, and behavioural engagement [2,3,4,5], for children experiencing economic disadvantage [6,7,8]. The quality of ECEC programs is influenced by the social, emotional, and instructional aspects of children’s interactions with educators and peers (known as process quality) [9]. Public Health 2020, 17, 1049; doi:10.3390/ijerph17031049 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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