Social-Emotional Learning in the Middle Grades: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Strong Kids Program

Abstract

Adolescence can be a particularly difficult time for youth as they experience the physical, social, and academic changes that accompany maturation. One of the most critical challenges for schools is teaching adolescent students positive social and emotional skills, which are crucial for them to succeed academically and emotionally. Strong Kids is a social-emotional learning curriculum designed to reduce students’ internalizing symptoms. Strong Kids has shown promise in elementary schools; this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the program in a middle level school setting. Two general education teachers implemented the curriculum with eight students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Researchers used a mixed methods design to evaluate outcomes. Findings suggest that Strong Kids was effective at improving students’ social-emotional knowledge and internalizing symptoms; however, there were no significant changes in their externalizing symptoms.