WHO DELIVERS IT AND HOW IT IS DELIVERED: EFFECTS OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING INTERVENTIONS ON LEARNING ANXIETY AND DROPOUT INTENTION

Wu Deli,Rosna Awang Hashim,Amrita Kaur

doi:10.32890/mjli2021.18.1.1

Abstract

Purpose – Given the prevalence of mental health issues among young adolescents and its detrimental effects on academic functioning, Social- Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions are becoming extremely valuable. The current study aims to investigate the effectiveness of two types of SEL interventions delivered by two different types of teachers to determine their effectiveness for SEL knowledge, learning anxiety, and intention to drop-out. Methodology – This study employed a 2 x 2 factorial and between-subject quasi-experimental design, in which intervention type and teacher type were manipulated to produce four different versions of experiments. A total of 209 students (107 boys, 102 girls) from Grade 8 with a mean age of 14.3 years from Qinzhou City in Southwest China participated in the study. Findings – Factorial and between-group MANOVA revealed that while psychology teacher was more effective in enhancing SEL knowledge and reducing dropout intention, regular teacher was more effective in reducing learning anxiety. TASSEL intervention was more effective in enhancing SEL knowledge while SEL regular intervention was more effective in reducing learning anxiety. Nevertheless, within-group analysis suggested TASSEL with psychology teacher was the best combination in reducing dropout intention while SEL with psychological teacher was the best combination in reducing learning anxiety. Significance – The results have significance for schools and mental health counselling services. The findings can guide the effective design of SEL intervention and appropriate teachers to deliver it.

Highlights

The prevalence of mental health issues among students is a global concern because it is widespread all over the world (Merikangas et al, 2010)
To establish the fidelity of the TASSEL intervention students in all groups after the intervention filled out the Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ; Williams & Deci, 1996)
It was established that junior high school students from rural areas and those residing in boarding schools are highly vulnerable and significantly more susceptible to mental health issues than their counterparts in urban areas (Wang et al, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

The prevalence of mental health issues among students is a global concern because it is widespread all over the world (Merikangas et al, 2010). In China, Wang et al (2016) found that 74 percent of rural students are at risk of mental health problems, which is three times higher than that of urban students. There are numerous grievous outcomes for students suffering from mental health issues, some of them are-anxiety, behavioral problems, emotional disorders, drug abuse, dropout and poor academic performance (Merikangas, Nakamura & Kessler, 2009; Reid, Gonzalez, Nordness, Trout, & Epstein, 2004). In rural China, the average dropout rate among Grade 7 and Grade 8 rural junior high school students is 13 percent, and ranges from 7.2 percent to 27.1 percent across different counties, it is believed that 74 percent of rural students face the risk of mental health issues, which is 12 times higher in comparison to urban students’ population. In rural China, the average dropout rate among Grade 7 and Grade 8 rural junior high school students is 13 percent, and ranges from 7.2 percent to 27.1 percent across different counties, it is believed that 74 percent of rural students face the risk of mental health issues, which is 12 times higher in comparison to urban students’ population. (Wang et al, 2015)

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Discussion

Conclusion