Social-emotional Learning for Bullying Prevention and Adolescent Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Review

A significant majority of Australian schools now include school-based well-being and/or social emotional learning (SEL) programmes and initiatives within their school timetable. These programmes are delivered, often with significant investment of money and time, in an attempt to successfully nurture social, emotional and academic competency and promote positive mental health within the staff and student community. This chapter explores the impact of the school context on the effectiveness of these programmes. The key aspects of school context considered here are the school social environment, the overall school culture and the school climate. These features of school context encompass important aspects of schooling that have an impact on how SEL and well-being programmes are implemented. The chapter proposes that Australian schools need to more carefully consider how the messages being delivered by any well-being and SEL programme can be assimilated into the wider school context. They also need to give greater consideration as to how that wider context can successfully accommodate the aims of each and every well-being and SEL programme. Overall, the findings of the chapter strongly suggest that Australian schools need to implement SEL and well-being programmes with a far wider consideration of context than is currently evident.

The focus of this special issue is on identifying factors that predict a school’s likelihood of high implementation of social– emotional learning (SEL) interventions. In this case, these factors are interpreted as readiness to implement. Implementation readiness is defined by the editors as the capacity to implement an evidence-based intervention (EBI) effectively. Though not stated explicitly, readiness in this definition seems to be a characteristic of the implementers (i.e., teachers or school). The model proposed by the editors and reflected to varying degrees by each of the seven studies involves documenting variables of teachers, classrooms, and schools that are predictive of high-quality implementation and using those variables to create readiness profiles and tailor implementation supports. SEL programs have demonstrated convincing efficacy for improving the social and academic development of children (Durlak et al. 2011). As practitioners and policy makers become more convinced of the fundamental importance of SEL as a foundation for quality education and child development, the challenge of effectively scaling SEL programs and practices is becoming more critical and timely. This special issue addresses an important empirical question: Can we identify factors that represent Breadiness^ of a school (and its teachers and classrooms) to adopt an SEL program and deliver it with sufficient quality and fidelity to reproduce the improvements in social and academic outcomes demonstrated in controlled trials? The seven SEL implementation studies presented in this special issue depict a complex picture of delivering SEL programs in schools and assessing both implementation and impact. As a result, across these seven studies, and other similar studies, we arrive at a long laundry list of variables that may influence implementation quality, fidelity, and reach (which may in turn potentially impact program effects and sustainment). So what can be made of the complex readiness model characterized across these seven studies? The collective body of SEL implementation research, exemplified in the articles of this special issue and more broadly, addresses both academic (i.e., for the sake of increasing our generalizable knowledge) and utilitarian (i.e., for the practical advancement of the scaling of SEL practice in schools) ends. Though these are sometimes overlapping goals simultaneously advanced, for the sake of clarity and space, this commentary will primarily address the practical and pragmatic value and lessons of this special issue, with admittedly less attention paid to issues of methodology, analytic techniques, or study designs. Considering the lessons we can draw across these seven SEL implementation studies, we might start with the end in mind: what could we do if we arrived at a clear list of the most important predictors of high(or low-)quality implementation? It is a herculean task to elucidate the characteristics of social–emotional development and subsequently use that knowledge to craft an intervention intended to promote such development. To further demonstrate, in the context of a rigorous experimental trial, that such an intervention can produce (both statistically and practically) significant improvements relative to a control condition is equally challenging, and not accomplished without a commitment to sound theory and a solid understanding of the school and classroom context (Flay et al. 2005). So the achievement of each of these programs in demonstrating efficacy must be recognized. Taking such * Brian K. Bumbarger bkb10@psu.edu

Understanding the Health and Well-Being of Early Adolescents Throughout the World: Findings From the 2017–2018 Survey of Health Behavior in School-Aged Children

78. The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being in Older Adolescents in College

The aim of the study is to investigate changes in teachers’ perceived school climate in the first and second years of implementing the social emotional learning (SEL) program in schools, as well as to investigate differences in 3rd- to 6th-grade students’ perceived school climate. In the two years of this study, 64 teachers participated in the SEL program alongside a control group. In the first year, teachers received training on the implementation of school-level SEL and received ready-made lesson plans for the direct practice of social and emotional skills in the classroom. In the second year, the SEL teachers were divided into two subgroups, where 32 teachers received additional supervision during the implementation. In the first year, 138 students from 3rd to 6th grade participated in the SEL program alongside a control group. In the second year of SEL implementation, 223 3rd to 6th grade students participated in the program where teachers received regular supervision, and 244 students continued the SEL implementation process without changes. Georgia School Climate Survey Suite personnel, elementary and middle/high school forms were used to measure teachers’ and students’ perceived school climate. The results show that in both the first and second years, overall perceived school climate results were higher for both SEL teacher groups compared to the control teacher group. After the first year, students in grades 5 to 6 showed better mental health results. In the second year, only those 5th to 6th grade students whose teachers received regular supervision showed better mental health results. Starting from the second SEL year, both SEL 3rd- to 4th-grade student groups showed higher perceived school climate compared to the control group. The results did not change during the second year, which indicates that the Latvian SEL primarily improves mental health results for 5th- to 6th-grade students and overall perceived school climate for 3rd to 4th-grade students starting from the second SEL year. Ongoing support for teachers also stimulates better outcomes in mental health.

Whole-school Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs demonstrate promise as an avenue for universally and equitably fostering student social and emotional wellbeing. This study used population data collected in 2015 to examine the association of Australian elementary (primary) school-based SEL programs with students' late middle childhood functioning (aged 11-12years) on the five social-emotional competencies defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making). A total of 18,643Year 6 students self-reported competencies on the Middle Childhood Survey-Social-Emotional Learning, and 569 school leaders reported on delivery of SEL to these students via the Survey of School Promotion of Emotional and Social Health. Multi-level regression, accounting for school clustering, compared competency levels among students who did and did not receive SEL at school. Secondary analyses determined the strength of effects for students receiving programs with a high-quality evidence base, for programs supported by little or no empirical evidence, and for evidence-based SEL programs that provided a high degree of explicit teaching (i.e., structured teaching and skills practice) of the targeted social-emotional competencies, each relative to students receiving no SEL programs. Positive significant effects of SEL were observed on four of five competencies (excluding Responsible Decision-Making), with effects being strongest for empirically-evidenced SEL programs that provided explicit teaching of the targeted competency. No significant effects of under-evidenced programs were observed. This novel, population-level evaluation demonstrates the universal benefit of evidence-based SEL programs in supporting elementary school students' development of social-emotional competencies.

Associations between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines and mental well-being among Chinese adolescents in high-density cities

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the efficacy of the Top 20 social emotional learning (SEL) program and how their SEL curriculum may lead to an increase in SEL. The secondary goal of this study was to explore how the social emotional competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision-making, optimistic thinking, and goal-directed behavior may play a significant role in a child and adolescent’s social emotional development. A total of 359 middle school students participated in the study. The experimental group consisted of 170 students and the control group consisted of 189 students. Two middle school teachers at the school helped embed and teach the Top 20 SEL curriculum and monthly SEL lessons to all students in the experimental group. The teachers completed the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) pre-test one month into the study and the DESSA post-test five months later. The descriptive analysis revealed an increase in all eight social emotional competencies for the experimental group with a total SEL difference score of M = 8.23. The Top 20 SEL program has demonstrated how experience and practice in SEL skills are more likely to lead to an increase in SEL.

Schools are turning to research-based social emotional learning (SEL) practices to improve student achievement and school progress. Research to support SEL implementation, however, has lagged behind outcomes-based evaluations, often resulting in poor SEL program quality and fidelity. This mixed methods study explores SEL implementation at a high-needs high school to determine the extent the program’s implementation adhered to the identified model. The findings indicate the study school only minimally implemented the evidence-based model due to barriers also cited in peer-reviewed research and, therefore, the evidence-based program was not implemented as intended. This study validates the need for research to shift attention from efficacious outcomes-based studies toward establishing best implementation practices to ensure interventions are transferred and implemented with fidelity. Doing so should strengthen adherence to evidence-based models, improve the overall quality of SEL program implementation, and increase the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes attributed to SEL program implementation. Impact Statement Currently the lack of evidence-based SEL implementation practices places schools interested in SEL at risk of poor program implementation in their unique settings. The findings in this study indicate there is a need to develop evidence-based SEL program implementation practices to support implementation in a context-specific manner that produces the desired outcomes, particularly in schools serving diverse student populations focused on closing race and income-based achievement gaps.

Teacher support has been shown to enhance adolescent mental health. However, the effects of negative emotions and resilience in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being in adolescents are still unknown. This study investigated (a) the mediating role of negative emotions in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being, (b) the mediating role of resilience in the association between teacher support and mental well-being, (c) the serial mediating role of negative emotions and then resilience in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being, and (d) the parallel mediating role of the five dimensions of resilience and the three factors of negative emotions in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being. Participants were 1228 Chinese adolescents (age, M = 15.43 years; 53.09% male). Participants filled out questionnaires regarding teacher support, negative emotions, resilience, and mental well-being. After controlling for age and gender, we found that teacher support, negative emotions, and resilience were significantly linked with mental well-being. Moreover, negative emotions and resilience were found to mediate the relationship between teacher support and adolescent mental well-being, accounting for 5.45 and 30.00% of the total effect, respectively. We also found that teacher support enhances mental well-being by decreasing negative emotions and then increasing resilience. This serial mediating effect accounted for 8.48% of the total effect. Finally, the mediating effect of resilience between teacher support and mental well-being was significantly greater than the mediating effects of the other two indirect effects (negative emotions in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being, negative emotions and then resilience in the relationship between teacher support and mental well-being). And the parallel mediation model showed that teacher support can promote adolescent mental well-being by increasing goal planning, affect control, and help-seeking behavior, and decreasing depression. These findings suggest a process through which negative emotions can decrease resilience and identify the mediating effects of negative emotions (including the three dimensions of negative emotions) and resilience (including the five factors of resilience) in the relationship between teacher support and adolescent mental well-being.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs and curricula have emerged as a priority in schools over the past three decades, with greater urgency since the COVID-19 pandemic. While SEL programs may show promise in supporting students' social and emotional needs generally, current SEL practices apply color-evasive approaches, leading to White-centered practices and norms that do not acknowledge the identities and needs of students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). In response, scholars have called for Culturally Responsive Social Emotional Learning (CRSEL) programs to support students in acknowledging their cultural strengths, recognizing their funds of knowledge, and feeling connected to their learning environment. Although there is a growing body of research on SEL that focuses on conceptualizing social justice, trauma-informed, equity-based, and anti-bias education SEL, more research is needed on teachers' perspectives and how they implement and integrate CRSEL into their classroom settings. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perspectives and experiences with CRSEL practices and how they describe the enactment of CRSEL for BIPOC students who attend Title I public schools in California. By centering the research study on the voices of teachers who work in Title I public schools, the study offered critical insights into the implementation of and teachers' commitment to CRSEL. In this phenomenological qualitative study, I interviewed 20 teachers from California Title 1 schools who self-identified as having experience teaching SEL and CRSEL. I asked them about their perspectives and experiences with CRSEL. Across the 20 participants, teachers described their perspectives on CRSEL as a form of building meaningful connections with students and being unable to do SEL without being culturally responsive. They described their enactment of CRSEL as integrating and incorporating students' cultures and personal experiences into the classroom and curriculum materials. Across their perspectives and enactment of CRSEL, teachers described students' responses as a driving force to why and how they implement CRSEL. This dissertation offers implications for research, policy, and practice on SEL enactment in the classroom and teacher preparation. Based on the expressed needs of teacher participants, this study highlighted the importance of school districts adopting and supporting CRSEL curriculum tailored to the intersectionalities, diverse identities, and diverse backgrounds of the students they serve. Moreover, there is a need to provide teachers with resources and ongoing professional development opportunities. This investment that school districts can make will ensure that teachers have the tools and knowledge necessary to create truly inclusive learning environments for all BIPOC students.

The integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into educational settings has gained significant attention due to its positive correlation with student academic achievement and long-term success. While extensively studied in developed nations, empirical evidence regarding SEL implementation in Latin America (LA) remains limited. Uruguay, one of the few countries in LA integrating SEL into educational curricula, aims to bolster SEL practises to improve student outcomes. However, there is prevailing concern among Uruguayan teachers regarding the need for adequate training to effectively implement SEL. This qualitative study investigates the efforts of Uruguayan English as a Foreign Language (EFL) elementary teachers to embed SEL within their instruction. Following a three-week online SEL course, 22 teachers were observed using the SEL Coaching Toolkit. Findings revealed teachers' commitment to integrate SEL, yet inconsistencies and limited explicit SEL practises were observed. The study highlights a need for enhanced SEL training and support for educators. Recommendations include providing foundational SEL knowledge, fostering collaborative learning environments, and empowering educators to effectively nurture students’ social emotional competencies, thereby advocating for equitable educational opportunities and fostering positive learning outcomes. Keywords: Social emotional learning, professional development, teacher training, SEL practises, English as a Foreign Language.

Mental well-being is more than merely the absence of mental illness; it is a multidimensional concept that includes both emotional and functional well-being, which are valuable resources during adolescence. In order to develop relevant interventions and policies to strengthen adolescent mental health, a continuous monitoring of the population well-being becomes important. The aim of the study was to examine the level, distribution, and changes in mental well-being over time in a Swedish adolescent population. Current study is based on four waves (2014-2017-2020-2023) of a cross-sectional student survey (N = 16288, Mage = 16.23). The outcome was measured with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Ten explanatory factors were chosen to examine differences in mental well-being in the study population: Grade, Sex, Sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, Country of birth, Visual, Hearing or Mobility impairment, Specific learning disorder and Neurodevelopmental disorder. Differences in mental well-being between groups as well as temporal trends were examined and evaluated through statistical testing and hierarchical multiple linear regressions modeling. Girls, non-heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with low socioeconomic status or impairments have lower levels of mental well-being than boys, heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with higher socioeconomic status or without impairments, respectively. A deterioration in mental well-being is seen over time for several groups; however, results of the multivariable analysis indicates that the deterioration is mainly an effect of sex and the significant decline in mental well-being seen among girls. The most significant factor for explaining the variation in mental well-being in this study is socioeconomic status. This study elucidates temporal changes and differences in levels of mental well-being between social groups in the adolescent population. The overall differences are small, but their potential implications for public health warrant careful consideration since they concern a significant part of the population. The results underscore the imperative of promoting mental well-being in adolescents, particularly among vulnerable groups.

Bullying is a public health concern, with more than one in five students reporting being bullied (Lessne & Yanez, 2016). Involvement in bullying behavior as a perpetrator, target, or bystander is associated with detrimental social, emotional, and academic outcomes for the individual as well as the school community (e.g., negative school climate). The prevalence and long-term impact of bullying on youth have motivated researchers, policy-makers, and educators to focus on effective and efficient school-based means to prevent bullying and reduce negative outcomes for those involved. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a preventative framework utilized by schools to promote resiliency and reduce risk factors at a school-wide level, with a focus on teaching specific skills that promote positive youth development. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five competencies or psychological strengths that are important for positive social-emotional functioning (i.e., self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making). Teaching, modeling, and reinforcing these competencies is a critical aspect of a SEL framework and can be a promising tool that schools can utilize in their efforts to address bullying. SEL addresses risk factors associated with bullying behavior (e.g., social skills, school climate) and research findings are clear that youth with SEL skills – such as emotion regulation, perspective-taking, relationship skills, and problem-solving – are less likely to be involved in bullying. SEL skills may also buffer victimized youth from adverse outcomes and re-victimization. Approaches to universal SEL implementation vary across schools and may include classroom teachers teaching SEL competencies within academic curricula (e.g., teaching empathy through literature or read alouds) or utilizing a specific SEL program with explicit skill instruction (e.g., The Incredible Years; Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001). Limited research has focused on the impact of teaching SEL skills organically through existing academic curricula or classroom activities (e.g., morning meetings, cooperative learning groups). Research is needed to shed light on how to effectively integrate SEL instruction within existing academic curricula and how this may impact bullying behavior. Research to date has instead focused on the effectiveness of universal SEL programs in teaching SEL skills and reducing negative outcomes. Overall, findings from this work suggest that SEL programs can aid in reducing externalizing and aggressive behavior and emerging research also suggests that these programs can prevent bullying perpetration and change student attitudes toward bullying.

Inclusive classrooms provide new opportunities for group membership and creation of effective learning environments. In order to facilitate the success of inclusion as an approach and philosophy, it is important that all class members as well as their teachers develop the skills to understand one another, and to communicate and work together effectively. Social emotional learning (SEL) is aimed at developing these skills and is generally defined to involve processes by which individuals learn to understand and moderate their own feelings, understand the feelings of others, communicate, resolve conflicts effectively, respect others, and develop healthy relationships. These skills are important to both children with disabilities and to those without, in terms of overall social development, perceptions of belonging, and promotion of overall mental wellness, as well as mitigation of the development of mental illness. Research suggests that SEL programming has the potential to effectively enhance children’s academic, social, and relational outcomes. Moreover, teachers who teach SEL in their classrooms have also demonstrated positive outcomes. Despite these encouraging findings, implementation of SEL has been hampered by some limitations, including the lack of a consistent definition—a limitation that in turn affects research findings; lack of teacher education in SEL, which erodes confidence in the fidelity of implementation; and concerns that current SEL programs are not sensitive to cultural differences in communities. Together, the strengths and limitations of SEL illuminate several policy implications regarding the most advantageous ways for SEL to contribute to the success of inclusion in classrooms and schools.