Abstract
Analyses of the relationship between levels of implementation and outcomes of school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions are relatively infrequent and are typically narrowly focused. Thus, our objective was to assess the relationship between variability in a range of implementation dimensions and intervention outcomes in the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum. Implementation of PATHS was examined in 69 classrooms across 23 schools in the first year of a major randomized controlled trial. Implementation data were generated via classroom-level structured observations. In addition to factual data on dosage and reach, exploratory factor analysis of observer ratings revealed two distinct implementation dimensions, namely, “quality and participant responsiveness” and “procedural fidelity.” Student social-emotional skills, pro-social behavior, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing problems were captured through child self-report and teacher informant-report surveys (N = 1721). Hierarchical linear modeling of study data revealed that higher implementation quality and participant responsiveness was associated with significantly lower ratings of students’ externalizing problems at 12-month follow-up. Conversely, and contrary to expectations, higher dosage was associated with significantly lower pro-social behavior and social-emotional skills at 12-month follow-up. No significant associations were found between variability in either procedural fidelity or reach and any intervention outcomes. The implications of these findings are discussed, and study limitations are noted.
Highlights
Universal, school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions foster the social-emotional skills of children and young people through explicit instruction in the context of learning environments that are safe, caring, well-managed, and participatory (Weissberg et al 2015)
Inclusion of the explanatory implementation variables significantly improved model fit when compared to Bunconditional^ models
We sought to offer distinct contributions to the field by adopting a more wideranging approach to the assessment of implementation than has previously been evident, through the increased objectivity and rigor afforded by the use of independent observational data, and via the application of a theoretical framework for implementation that posits quality and fidelity as distinct dimensions, enabling us to concurrently assess the relative importance of what is delivered and how well in determining intervention outcomes (Berkel et al 2011)
Summary
School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions foster the social-emotional skills (e.g., self-management, social awareness, relationship skills) of children and young people through explicit instruction in the context of learning environments that are safe, caring, well-managed, and participatory (Weissberg et al 2015). Three recent metaanalyses have rigorously demonstrated that SEL interventions can lead to meaningful improvements in a range of student outcomes, including their social-emotional skills, mental health, and academic attainment (Durlak et al 2011; Sklad et al 2012; Wigelsworth et al 2016). The implementation of SEL interventions is variable, and this variability is hypothesized to be a key moderator of intervention outcomes (Durlak 2016). Our primary objective in this study, was to assess the relationship between levels of implementation and intervention outcomes in the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum. We sought to offer a distinct contribution to knowledge vis-à-vis the distinction between fidelity and quality in implementation and prevention science.
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