Emotional Learning Programs Research Articles

Social Emotional Learning (sel) Program Among Fifth graders, Three and Six Months Later

This study carried out a follow-up three and six months after the application of a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, aiming to verify the maintenance of social skills in Elementary Education students in situations of social vulnerability from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A sample of the intervention and control groups composed of 20 students aged 10 to 13 (M = 10.3, SD = 0.8), boys and girls were selected. The SSRS (Social Skill Rating System) and the TDE (School Achievement Test) used in the intervention for teachers and students were reapplied. The results showed that the decrease in psychopathological symptoms and the improvements in academic performance were maintained after the intervention. These findings highlight the relevance of developing social emotional learning programs with elementary school students. How to cite this article: Souza, M.S., Soares, A.B., & Freitas, C.P.P. (2021). Social emotional learning (sel) program among fifth graders, three and six months later. Revista Colombiana de Psicologia, 31 (1), 35-48. https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v31n1.83042

Implementation of a school-based Social Emotional Learning Program in Panama: Experiences of adolescents, teachers, and parents

This study aims to explore the factors influencing the implementation of the social-emotional learning pilot program Me and My new World, which emphasizes enhancing personal capacities toward equal personal relationships and behaviors of adolescents in Panama. Since the effect assessment of the program showed improved personal capacities of adolescents that might positively influence their personal relationships and well-being, a deeper understanding of the conditions and factors experienced during the implementation is necessary. To this end, qualitative methods were used for data collection: 6 in- depth interviews were carried out with teachers and parents, and 48 students participated in 12 focus group discussions. The study sought to examine completeness and fidelity, as well as exploring possible enhancing and impeding factors during a future diffusion process. The results revealed that the program was highly accepted by students, teachers, and parents. Enhancing factors of the implementation were innovation and local needs, adaptability of lessons and acceptability of the program. Barriers appeared to be the lack of time for lessons during regular curriculum, cultural transferability and organizational setting. The findings are important for improving development and implementation of social-emotional learning programs, especially oriented towards equal personal relationships and better decision making of adolescents.

Supplemental Material for What We Know, and What We Need to Find Out About Universal, School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs for Children and Adolescents: A Review of Meta-Analyses and Directions for Future Research

Supplemental Material for What We Know, and What We Need to Find Out About Universal, School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs for Children and Adolescents: A Review of Meta-Analyses and Directions for Future Research

Development of Black to Success: A Culturally Enriched Social Skills Program for Black Adolescent Males

Within schools across the nation, disproportionality in school discipline policies and practices continues to impact many racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) students. To combat the detrimental implications of discipline disproportionality, systemic changes to policies, practices, and accountability for teachers and school staff are required. Additionally, more culturally responsive social–emotional learning programs and interventions intended for Black males are needed to teach and promote culturally relevant prosocial behaviors. The current study sought to collect evidence from leading experts regarding the cultural validity of a culturally enriched social skills program for Black male adolescents titled Black to Success (B2S). Feedback from experts was integrated into the B2S curriculum to foster effectiveness and appropriateness for Black male participants. Results suggest that experts agreed or strongly agreed that the ten social skills and instructional strategies within B2S were important and culturally relevant, and included activities that promote positive racial/ethnic identity development of Black adolescent males.Impact Statement Feedback from school psychologist with expertise in social skills, racial/ethnic identity development, and culturally responsive adaptations to interventions for Black male adolescents enabled modifications to improve the cultural relevance and effectiveness of a culturally enriched social skills program for Black male adolescents. Such interventions are needed for Black adolescent males to promote culturally appropriate prosocial behavior and help Black males navigate the systemic barriers such as discipline disproportionality found within schools. Impact Statement Feedback from school psychologist with expertise in social skills, racial/ethnic identity development, and culturally responsive adaptations to interventions for Black male adolescents enabled modifications to improve the cultural relevance and effectiveness of a culturally enriched social skills program for Black male adolescents. Such interventions are needed for Black adolescent males to promote culturally appropriate prosocial behavior and help Black males navigate the systemic barriers such as discipline disproportionality found within schools.

Differential effectiveness of an elementary school social and emotional learning program during middle school transition in Portugal.

This study analyzed the effectiveness of an elementary school Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program during middle school transition in Portugal, and the influence of gender, classroom size and student's perception of two school climate dimensions (student-student relationships and teacher-student relationships) upon its effectiveness. One-thousand-sixty-three students (M age = 9.14; SD = 0.64; 51.2% were boys) participated: 702 in the intervention group and 361 in the control group, assessed at pretest, post-test, and follow-up 10 months later (after middle school transition). Multilevel analyses identified that the program was effective in enhancing social awareness, self-control, and self-esteem, even after middle school transition. Results also showed that there no differential gains by gender, and that intervention group students who had more positive perceptions of student-student relationships and teacher-student relationships displayed more positive trajectories in self-esteem. Students from smaller fourth-grade classrooms displayed lower social awareness than students from larger fourth-grade classrooms, but a more positive trajectory in that competence than students from medium and larger fourth-grade classrooms. This study highlights the importance of analyzing the differential effectiveness of SEL programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Pilot Wellness Program With Adapted Social-Emotional Learning and COVID-19 Curriculum for Refugee Youth.

Refugee children are less likely than their non-refugee peers to receive timely diagnoses and treatment for mental and/or behavioral health problems, despite facing multiple risk factors including potential exposure to trauma during premigration, migration, and postmigration experiences. Social-Emotional Learning offers preventive mental health education for children through well-established, evidenced-based curricula. Although there are clear benefits of Social-Emotional Learning curricula, which can help children achieve long-term success emotionally and academically, Social-Emotional Learning curricula are not easily accessible for refugee children, often because of language and socioeconomic barriers. In this pilot study, we evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of an adapted Social-Emotional Learning program that included culturally specific, multilingual, trauma-informed wellness, and physical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: EMPOWER (Emotions Program Outside the Clinic With Wellness Education for Refugees). We used the Intervention Mapping framework which guided the (1) planning, (2) program development, and (3) mixed-method evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the EMPOWER pilot. We found that this adaptation was well-received by Afghan refugee families and that COVID-19 safety measures were well-understood after participation. Challenges emerged around videoconferencing connectivity and around finding a common language for discussing emotions. Future iterations of the program and evaluations will require continued partnerships with community members and organizations. As we continue and expand EMPOWER, we aim to evaluate short-term improvement in Social-Emotional Learning competence as well as long-term mental and behavioral health outcomes for children and their families.

Social and Emotional Learning in Preschool Settings: A Systematic Map of Systematic Reviews

The preschool years presents an important opportunity to support children’s social and emotional development. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in early childhood education and care (ECEC) have gained an increased interest due to its potential to improve child health and educational outcomes. We aimed to identify existing systematic reviews on universal, curriculum-based SEL interventions in ECEC settings (children aged 0 to 7 years), assess their risk of bias, synthesize the findings and identify knowledge gaps. We undertook a systematic literature search in seven different databases. Reviews of studies without control groups were excluded. Each abstract and full text article was assessed independently, and disagreements were solved in consensus. Relevant reviews were assessed for bias using the ROBIS tool. Of 4912 records identified through database searches, two systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Both reviews were assessed as having a high risk of bias. The results were used to summarize existing knowledge and knowledge gaps. In conclusion, SEL interventions in preschool settings must be considered knowledge gaps. There is a need for more high-quality primary studies and further systematic reviews that adhere to strict scientific methods and address the overwhelming heterogeneity in field, in terms of interventions, settings and outcomes.

Evaluation of the SPARK Child Mentoring Program: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for Elementary School Students

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs seek to enhance social and emotional competencies in children, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. By means of direct instruction regarding social and emotional competencies, SEL programs have the potential to strengthen resilience in children and thus their capacity to effectively cope with life’s challenges. Strengthening resilience in children who are repeatedly exposed to adverse experiences, particularly those from economically disadvantaged minority backgrounds, is of particular importance and has implications for the prevention of a multitude of problems later in life. Our study reports the result of an investigation of the SPARK Child Mentoring program, a resilience-focused SEL program designed to reduce risk factors, uncover innate resilience, promote natural emotional well-being, and facilitate school success. We employed a randomized controlled trial comprising 94 elementary school students that included pre- and post-intervention measurements. After controlling for pre-intervention levels, we found a significant difference between students’ understanding of underlying program principles; communication, decision making, and problem-solving skills; emotional regulation; and resilience for students who received the intervention compared to students who did not receive the intervention. These results provide initial evidence for the efficacy of the SPARK Child Mentoring program with a diverse sample of elementary school students and adds to the existing literature base concerning positive outcomes associated with SEL programs. We discuss implications for future research focused on long-term preventive effects of the program and the characteristics of students most likely to benefit from it.

Equity in Social Emotional Learning Programs: A Content Analysis of Equitable Practices in PreK-5 SEL Programs

As the positive impact of social emotional learning (SEL) has become widely recognized, there is increasing demand for SEL programs to address the diverse cultures, identities, and experiences of all students in the classroom, in particular students of color and other youth impacted by structural inequality. SEL programs increasingly provide resources and guidance to ensure that diverse students are represented in materials and content and to help educators understand how culture plays a role in the development and expression of SEL competencies. However, few programs are intentionally designed with equity in mind and even fewer examine how historical and structural inequalities impact both the teaching and learning of SEL skills. While many believe that SEL is well-positioned to play a role in creating learning environments where students of all cultures, races, identities, and backgrounds feel safe, respected, and empowered, the link between equity and SEL is not always clear. Furthermore, despite existing well-established, research-grounded practices from which to draw in other fields, the field of SEL currently lacks a coherent and unified definition of what constitutes equitable SEL and what equitable SEL looks like in the classroom. As schools and other educational settings strive toward creating more equitable learning environments for students, the field of SEL needs a clearer viewpoint and explicit practices describing how equity can be better integrated into SEL programming and practice. This paper describes the need for equitable SEL, summarizes existing research and practices, and provides a set of recommendations for implementing them effectively in schools and other educational settings. We begin with a brief exploration of the relationship between educational equity and SEL, describing the potential for SEL to create more equitable, inclusive, and just learning environments. Next, we present key perspectives from the literature that shape current views on how issues of equity can be integrated into SEL programming and practice, proposing a set of principles and definition for equitable SEL. Finally, we discuss the current state of PreK-5 SEL programs, using findings from a content analysis to describe the extent to which programs address equity in lessons and promote transformative SEL skill building.

미술과와 연계한 학교차원의 사회정서학습 프로그램이 지적장애 초등학생의 수업참여도와 비장애학생의 정서지능에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a school-wide social emotional learning program integrated with art on the class participation of elementary school students with intellectual disabilities and the emotional intelligence of students without disabilities. The subjects were 31 students (three students with intellectual disabilities and 28 students without disabilities) from an elementary school located in Gyeonggi Province. The one-group pretest-posttest design was applied. The school-wide social emotional learning program integrated with art was organized with five elements of social emotional abilities: self-awareness, self-management, social recognition, personal relationship, and responsible decision making. A total of 28 students without disabilities evaluated the class participation of the three students with intellectual disabilities, in addition the emotional intelligence of students without disabilities was measured by a self-report instrument. Dependent samples t-test was implemented for analyzing the data. The research results were as follows. First, the class participation of the three students with intellectual disabilities was statistically improved significantly after they participated in the program. Second, there was no statistically significant difference between the pretest total scores and the posttest total scores of the emotional intelligence of the 28 students without disabilities. On the contrary, the subscale scores of their emotional expression and emotional utilization were statistically improved significantly after they participated in the program. Implications of this study as well as suggestions for future studies were discussed.

Un análisis a nivel nacional de la efectividad de un programa de aprendizaje socioemocional en Portugal: enfoque sobre el papel de la participación de los creadores

The current study was the first to analyze the effectiveness of Positive Attitude Secondary School (PASS) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program upon the self-perceptions (social, academic, and emotional self-concept and self-esteem) of secondary school students, with a nationwide sample. The study also compared how different levels of developers’ involvement (defined as “led“, “involved“or “independent“) in program implementation influenced its effectiveness. Nine-hundred-nighty-five participants (7th to 9th grade; Mage = 12.95, SD = 1.70) participated in this study, 789 students (37 classes) received the PASS SEL program and 206 (nine classes) took part in the control groups. The program was implemented by the programs’ developers in the programs’ original setting (Torres Vedras); by another team in another municipality (Cadaval), where the program has been implemented in the last two years (“involved“); and by new teams in six Gulbenkian Academies of Knowledge spread throughout Portugal (“independent“). Self-report questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. The results from the repeated measures MANOVAs showed that students who participated in the PASS SEL program displayed statistically significant larger gains in social self-concept and self-esteem when compared with students from the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in program effectiveness between the different level of developers’ involvement in the implementation of the PASS SEL program. Altogether, the results support the effectiveness of the PASS SEL program in enhancing self-perceptions, even with different levels of developers’ involvement, which indicates the program is ready for further dissemination.

School-Based Training for Sustainable Emotional Development in Chinese Preschoolers: A Quasi-Experiment Study

Emotional competence (EC) is important for children’s social adjustment and sustainable development. The present study designed a school based emotional competence learning (ECL) program and examined its effectiveness with 56 Chinese preschoolers aged 5–6. A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the impact of the ECL program on young children’s EC. Two upper Kindergarten classes (Daban) for children aged 5–6 were randomly assigned as experimental group (n = 31, 42% girls, Mage = 68.31 months, SD = 3.75) and control group (n = 25, 44% girls, Mage = 68.16 months, SD = 3.77). The experimental group was engaged in a 15-week ECL program, whereas the control group had similar duration courses without emotional competence training. All the children were administered the Test of Emotion Comprehension, Expression Identification Task, and Emotion Regulation Strategy Inventory before and after the intervention. The results indicated no significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the pre-test. In contrast, the experimental group outperformed the control group in most EC components in the post-test. Meanwhile, the experimental group demonstrated greater increases in EC components. The findings suggest that this ECL program has strong potential as a school-based, structured program for enhancing children’s emotional competence. The educational implications of these findings are discussed.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM FOR BUILD RESPONSIBLE CHARACTER OF STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The aim of this research was describe Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program for build responsible character of students in elementary school. The approach for this study was qualitative. The main method of this study was library research that supported with filed research. Library research that referred in this study was an activity to collected data, read, took notes, and processed the data that related with Social Emotional Program in Schools. It was obtained from books, journals, and articles. There are 5 main journals supported by 10 other. The researcher was collected the data from documents, research notes, and interviews. The interviewees are people who have direct contact with Social Emotional Program such as Head of Social Emotional Program Department, teachers, students and parents of Kharisma Bangsa Elementary School. This study used purposive sampling technique. The instruments of this research were document check list, notes, and interview guidelines. Data analysis was achieved through a content analysis technique. The result showed that Social Emotional Learning Program can build responsible character of students in elementary school. It can be obtained by growing social awareness, self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision making, and relationship skills after implementing Social Emotional Learning Program. The Social Emotional Learning Program was effective to build the responsibility by using some approaches there were Explicit SEL Instruction, Teacher Instructional, and Integrated with curriculum areas that supported by several strategies between PATH, RC, 4R’s, and RULER.

Social and Emotional Learning Program Among Preschool Children

Social and Emotional Learning Program Among Preschool Children

RETRACTED: Role of art programs in young children’s social-emotional learning

• There is direct correlation between emotional knowledge and arts participation. • The knowledge of emotions has a direct relationship with art training. • SEL programs focus on student readiness for academic, than on social, performance. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between arts participation and social-emotional development of 300 preschool children (4 to 5 years) in Wuhan (China). Children received improvisation classes, sessions where they were asked to listen to and discuss music, and typical art lessons. Children were administered the Emotional Matching Test and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional. This study demonstrates that arts education affects preschool-age children's knowledge of emotions and social-emotional competence. The results showed a direct strong correlation between emotional knowledge and arts education with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.718 to 0.8923. The findings of this study may be useful in designing programs for kindergartens to prevent psychosocial development delays and behavioural problems in children that are related to insufficient knowledge of emotions. Future research will benefit from the comparative study of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, extracurricular social-emotional skills training, and SEL integrated into lessons.

A Quasi-Experimental Study on Social Emotional Learning and Primary Prevention

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.

Effects of Positive Action in Elementary School on Student Behavioral and Social-Emotional Outcomes

The national conversation about the importance of social-emotional competencies, such as prosocial behaviors, responsible decision-making, and problem-solving, has increased greatly in the last 2 decades. There is, however, less robust evidence for social and emotional learning programs’ impact on social and emotional outcomes when implemented in low-income, minority populations. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based, universal program targeting social-emotional skills in late elementary school (grades 3–5) in a low-income, urban, minority population. Data were collected from 930 students over five waves. Growth curve analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on positive youth development, emotional health, self-esteem, problem behaviors, health behaviors, environmental climate, and academics. The study provides evidence for universal school-based interventions in low-income, urban, minority contexts in elementary school grades.

A nationwide analysis of the effectiveness of a Social and Emotional Learning program in Portugal: Focus on the role of developers’ involvement

The current study was the first to analyze the effectiveness of Positive Attitude Secondary School (PASS) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program upon the self-perceptions (social, academic, and emotional self-concept and self-esteem) of secondary school students, with a nationwide sample. The study also compared how different levels of developers’ involvement (defined as “led”, “involved” or “independent”) in program implementation influenced its effectiveness. Nine-hundred-nighty-five participants (7th to 9th grade; Mage=12.95, SD=1.70) participated in this study, 789 students (37 classes) received the PASS SEL program and 206 (nine classes) took part in the control groups. The program was implemented by the programs’ developers in the programs’ original setting (Torres Vedras); by another team in another municipality (Cadaval), where the program has been implemented in the last two years (“involved”); and by new teams in six Gulbenkian Academies of Knowledge spread throughout Portugal (“independent”). Self-report questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. The results from the repeated measures MANOVAs showed that students who participated in the PASS SEL program displayed statistically significant larger gains in social self-concept and self-esteem when compared with students from the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in program effectiveness between the different level of developers’ involvement in the implementation of the PASS SEL program. Altogether, the results support the effectiveness of the PASS SEL program in enhancing self-perceptions, even with different levels of developers’ involvement, which indicates the program is ready for further dissemination.

Efficient Assessment of the Whole Social–Emotional Child: Using Parents to Rate SEL Competencies and Concurrent Emotional Behavior Concerns

Parents play a major role in children’s development and have unique opportunities to observe a wide range of their children’s social–emotional behavior at home and in their communities. Yet parents’ input via universal screening assessments into school-based social–emotional learning (SEL) programs for their children has been limited by a paucity of efficient, valid assessments of CASEL-aligned SEL competencies and potentially co-occurring emotional behavior concerns. This article describes the use of item response theory methods to develop brief emotional behavior concerns (EBC) scales designed to expand the Parent version of the CASEL-aligned SSIS SEL Brief Scales (SSIS SELb) that enables a sound assessment of the whole social–emotional child. Specifically, the article examines the initial psychometrics and utility of EBC-Externalizing and EBC-Internalizing scales for parents. The results showed the assessment of SEL skills and EBC behaviors to maximize efficiency and yield scores that provide valid insights regarding the interplay of these behavior constructs. The Parent version of the SSIS SEL Brief + Mental Health Scales expands assessment options for practitioners to allow efficient incorporation of parent perspectives about the whole social–emotional child. The article concludes with a discussion of limitations and future research.

"It's Embedded in What We Do for Every Child": A Qualitative Exploration of Early Childhood Educators' Perspectives on Supporting Children's Social and Emotional Learning.

Early childhood educators play an important role in supporting children’s social and emotional development. While a growing body of research has examined the impact of curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs on child outcomes, the approaches educators use to strengthen children’s social and emotional functioning through their everyday practices are less defined. This study explored Australian early childhood educators’ perspectives on children’s social and emotional development, the approaches educators use to encourage children’s social and emotional skills, the enablers and barriers to SEL within the preschool environment, and the additional support needed. Thirty Early Childhood Education and Care professionals participated in semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Findings suggest children’s social–emotional development is at the forefront of educator planning, practice, and reflection. Participants described utilising various approaches to support children’s social and emotional skills, embedded within interactions and relationships with children and families. Specifically, strategies could be grouped into four broad categories: a nurturing and responsive educator–child relationship; supporting SEL through everyday interactions and practice; utilising the physical environment to encourage SEL; and working in partnership with caregivers. There was, however, inconsistency in the variety and type of approaches identified. Time constraints, group size, educator confidence and capability, high staff turnover, and limited guidance regarding high-quality social and emotional pedagogy were identified as key barriers. Participants sought practical strategies that could be embedded into daily practice to build upon current knowledge.