Social Learning Skills Research Articles

Understanding and Supporting Social and Emotional Learning Skills for Adolescent Girls During and After Covid-19 Pandemic in Uganda

While COVID-19 affected everyone, adolescent girls were the most affected due to socio-economic barriers, further compounding their social and emotional well-being and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH). This study employed a Feminist Participatory Action Research methodology to understand the adolescent girls’ social and emotional well-being and the Social-Emotional Skills (SES) they need for their SRH and learning during and post-COVID-19 period. The study participants included 158 adolescent girls from Yakwe school in Uganda. The study findings revealed an overwhelming majority of adolescent girls citing transactional sex for basic goods (especially menstrual hygiene products) and increasing social and emotional vulnerability to unplanned pregnancies. The study further revealed a lack of systemic support at school and family/community levels. The study recommends school-wide systemic supports targeting students, teachers, school leaders, and parents, prioritizing students’ social and emotional skills, and allocating necessary resources to develop the structures needed to nurture and sustain SES

Psihometrijsko proučavanje merne skale za nastavu socijalnih veština učenika sa posebnim obrazovnim potrebama

Introduction. Teaching social skills to students with special educational needs is essential for their personal development and integration into society. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to validate a measurement instrument for the elements involved in teaching and learning social skills in students with special educational needs. Methods. Two studies were conducted to accomplish this objective. We first performed exploratory research on half of the sample consisting of 166 Greek teachers working in primary and secondary special and general education schools in the Western Macedonia region. Then, we conducted a confirmatory study on a sample of 185 Greek teachers who were also working in primary and secondary special and general education schools in the same region. All education professionals work with students with mild special educational needs. The instrument used was an "ad hoc" questionnaire consisting of 17 items of a 5-point Likert scale, to which different analyses were applied to verify its validity and reliability. Results. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) showed a total of 3 factors corresponding to the "Preparedness of Teachers in Teaching Social Skills", the "Elements of Influence on Teachers' Suitability in Teaching Social Skills", and the "Elements that play an important role in Teaching Social Skills". Subsequently, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out, through which the results derived from the AFE were ratified. Conclusion. The findings reveal an instrument that is adequate in validity and reliability, in accordance with the literature, demonstrating that the model is consistent and coherent with the initial theoretical assumptions.

Social and Emotional Learning in Finnish Physical Education Teacher Education

Purpose: Teachers’ social and emotional learning (SEL) skills play a central role in physical education to promote holistic youth development and physical activity. The purpose of this study was to explore what SEL skills Finnish physical education student teachers learned during their final study year at university and how they described the meaning of SEL in part of their teacherhood. Method: Data were collected from a questionnaire for four annual courses of Finnish physical education student teachers (n125) and written teaching philosophies (n12). Results: Students reported learning many different SEL skills during their final year. Most learning experiences were reported in self-awareness skills and relationships skills. SEL was also described as (a) a tool for better teaching, (b) a basis for human perception, and (c) changing the way they view their teacherhood. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings indicated that students place a high value on learning SEL skills and that SEL is central to their overall view of physical education.

Gambaran Keterlibatan Orang Tua dalam Keterampilan Sosial Anak Penyandang Autisme

The condition of children with autism generates obstacles in its development, especially when socializing. This condition makes parents face complex challenges in teaching social skills to children. Meanwhile, helping autistic children to learn social skills needs participation from their family. This study aims to describe the strategies used by parents to be involved in their autistic children’s social skills learning. This research is a qualitative study with data collection techniques using interviews, field notes, and collection of documents and artefacts. Data analysis is using Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis. The target participants in this study are mothers or fathers who have an autistic child in elementary school. Participants in this study are three mothers who has autistic child in elementary school. Based on the results, it can be concluded that parents use strategies to be involved as well as strategies to face the challenges while being involved. Parental involvement strategies that are found in this research are called Testing the Water and Collaborative Strategy. To face challenges in involvement, there are Finding Support and Avoidance of Stressor. Strategies used to be involved and face challenges of involvement needs to be adapted according to the needs and characteristics of children’s social skills in practice, also depends on the challenges faced by parents

Noncognitive Factors and Student Long-Run Success: Comparing the Predictive Validity of Observable Academic Behaviors and Social-Emotional Skills

Noncognitive constructs such as self-efficacy, social awareness, and academic engagement are widely acknowledged as critical components of human capital, but systematic data collection on such skills in school systems is complicated by conceptual ambiguities, measurement challenges and resource constraints. This study addresses this issue by comparing the predictive validity of two most widely used metrics on noncogntive outcomes—observable academic behaviors (e.g., absenteeism, suspensions) and student self-reported social and emotional learning (SEL) skills—for the likelihood of high school graduation and postsecondary attainment. Our findings suggest that conditional on student demographics and achievement, academic behaviors are several-fold more predictive than SEL skills for all long-run outcomes, and adding SEL skills to a model with academic behaviors improves the model’s predictive power minimally. In addition, academic behaviors are particularly strong predictors for low-achieving students’ long-run outcomes. Part-day absenteeism (as a result of class skipping) is the largest driver behind the strong predictive power of academic behaviors. Developing more nuanced behavioral measures in existing administrative data systems might be a fruitful strategy for schools whose intended goal centers on predicting students’ educational attainment.

The Relationship of Reward Addiction and Punishment Sensitivity with Social and Emotional Learning Skills in High School Students

The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between Social Emotional Learning skills, which emphasize the effect of school on students' social and emotional problems, and the sensitivity created by the use of reward-punishment in educational processes on students. The present research was designed in accordance with the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research designs. The sample of the research consists of 818 high school students who continue formal education in a province located in the Marmara Region, Turkey. Personal information form, punishment sensitivity scale, reward addiction scale, and social emotional learning scale were used to collect data. In the analysis of the data, pearson correlation coefficients were determined and tested by path analysis by establishing a structural equation modeling with latent variables. Secondly, multiple regression analysis was conducted while investigating the effects of students' levels of reward addiction and punishment sensitivity on their social and emotional learning in the academic context. When the relationships between reward commitment in the academic context and sensitivity to punishment in the academic context were examined, low and moderate relationships were found between the sub-dimensions of both variables.

Impact of a Mathematics Bridging Course on the Motivation and Learning Skills of University Students

AbstractThe transition from secondary to tertiary education is an exciting and yet challenging event in the educational biography of students. During this transition, students often meet with unexpected challenges, which may cause them to drop out from their degree program. Many universities offer bridging courses or longer-term interventions to support their incoming students in this period. To examine the effect of a bridging course designed to reduce gaps in prior mathematical knowledge, promote social-emotional well-being, and foster learning skills, we implement a repeated-measures intervention study. We analyze the outcomes of the intervention, which features tutors with special training, autonomous choice of topic areas, peer learning, and materials for self-directed learning. We measure the development of motivational beliefs reflecting the will to learn (achievement goals, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, implicit theories, self-efficacy) and the skills to learn (reactions to errors, self-regulated learning) at the secondary-tertiary transition. These aspects are captured at multiple measurement points among students (N = 679) who participate in the bridging course (intervention group) and those who do not (control group). The intervention boosts motivational beliefs related to social embeddedness and learning skills in the short term. The observed decrease in autonomy, competence, and self-efficacy might be explained by higher standards that students use for their self-assessment in the new peer group. In the long term, all aspects of the will to learn, except for social relatedness, show stable to strongly negative developments in both groups. Among those students who do not participate in the bridging course, mostly strongly negative developments are observed. The results suggest that the peer tutoring strategy is highly effective and the need for longer-term interventions to uphold the positive short-term effects.

Supportive Environments Providing Social and Emotional Learning Explain Success in People with Learning Disabilities

Although students with learning disabilities (SwLD) are at greater risk (compared to typical learners) for dropping out of high school, not attending college, and unemployment, some SwLD lead successful lives (Aro et al., 2019; Mazzotti et al., 2021; Wagner et al., 2005). Little, however, is known as to what factors support this subset of SwLD in defying the odds and achieving success by graduating from college and leading satisfying lives. Alumni from Winston Preparatory School (Winston), a school exclusively for SwLD that has a strong track record for high school graduation and college attendance, were recruited for this study. Results from a previous study on Winston alumni indicated all attended college and most: graduated college, were employed, and had someone who socially supported them. The present study described in this paper built on these findings. Results indicated that when students felt supported by teachers and people at home, they were more likely to report high levels of three social and emotional learning skills which predicted several measures of student success. These results may offer possible explanations for why certain SwLD succeed but more research, possibly longitudinal, is needed to gain a more thorough understanding of the factors involved.

The effects of student and school characteristics on SEL skills of adolescents: A hierarchical linear modelling

AbstractThis study aimed to examine student and school characteristics that could affect adolescents' social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. The study group consisted of randomly selected 3017 high school students from 42 schools in Turkey. According to two‐level Hierarchical Linear Modelling analysis findings, the mean SEL scores of schools differed statistically significantly. The variables of academic achievement, participation in events (scientific, artistic, sports, community services), adolescent‐parent relationships, and absenteeism status variables were important predictors of SEL scores at the student level. The variables of the relationship between students, teacher–student relationships, number of students/teachers, music class (active use), number of student clubs in the school, parental involvement, presence of school counselor, and disciplinary action rate were important predictors of SEL scores at the school level. Findings were thoroughly discussed in relation to the existing literature, and recommendations were made for future studies and applications.

The Assistive Technology for Teaching and Learning of Social Skills for Autism Spectrum Disorder Children: Multimedia Interactive Social Skills Module Application

<p style="text-align: justify;">An earlier study found that assistive technology based on mobile applications significantly improved how social skills were taught to and learned by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children. Nevertheless, the content of the existing mobile applications is inadequate for capturing the diversity of Malaysian culture, making it unacceptable for local use. Considering cultural norms is a factor in developing social skills in ASD children. It is therefore necessary to develop new assistive technology based on mobile applications that consider Malaysian cultural norms. As a result, the Multimedia Interactive Social Skills Module (MISSM) application was created based on the Addie Model, which offers a systematic process for assisting in developing successful instructional material by fusing instructional theory with learning theory. The MISSM application is based on Malaysia's current social skills curriculum, which helps ASD children become socially competent. Hopefully, it will help them develop better social skills and achieve academically. Finally, local culture-sensitive material for assistive technology based on mobile applications would support Malaysia's adoption of a technology-based teaching and learning strategy and contribute to a better understanding of social skills.</p>

Functional and microstructural plasticity following social and interoceptive mental training.

The human brain supports social cognitive functions, including Theory of Mind, empathy, and compassion, through its intrinsic hierarchical organization. However, it remains unclear how the learning and refinement of social skills shapes brain function and structure. We studied if different types of social mental training induce changes in cortical function and microstructure, investigating 332 healthy adults (197 women, 20-55 years) with repeated multimodal neuroimaging and behavioral testing. Our neuroimaging approach examined longitudinal changes in cortical functional gradients and myelin-sensitive T1 relaxometry, two complementary measures of cortical hierarchical organization. We observed marked changes in intrinsic cortical function and microstructure, which varied as a function of social training content. In particular, cortical function and microstructure changed as a result of attention-mindfulness and socio-cognitive training in regions functionally associated with attention and interoception, including insular and parietal cortices. Conversely, socio-affective and socio-cognitive training resulted in differential microstructural changes in regions classically implicated in interoceptive and emotional processing, including insular and orbitofrontal areas, but did not result in functional reorganization. Notably, longitudinal changes in cortical function and microstructure predicted behavioral change in attention, compassion and perspective-taking. Our work demonstrates functional and microstructural plasticity after the training of social-interoceptive functions, and illustrates the bidirectional relationship between brain organisation and human social skills.

메타버스 플랫폼을 활용한 자기 주도적 학습 경험 디자인 - 미취학 아동의 사회성 학습 콘텐츠를 중심으로

메타버스 플랫폼을 활용한 자기 주도적 학습 경험 디자인 - 미취학 아동의 사회성 학습 콘텐츠를 중심으로

Social Theory and Movement Skill Learning in Kinesiology

Social Theory and Movement Skill Learning in Kinesiology

The Real Learning Loss: A Lost Opportunity to Reimagine Schooling

Reflections on pandemic schooling and its aftermath have been dominated by narratives of loss. Most notably, there has been sustained attention given to students’ loss of learning and loss of social skills (with implications that this will lead to loss of revenue and a lost generation down the road). This neoliberal view of schooling, which is steeped in whiteness, has led to a narrow understanding of both these problems and their solutions. The solutions that are suggested, informed by whiteness and dominant culture, have significant consequences for all children, but especially BIPOC children. Specifically, there have been calls to focus classroom efforts on raising test scores and calls to add the teaching of social emotional learning skills. In this paper, we critique these moves and argue instead for a more expansive view of possibilities for schooling post-pandemic. Rather than framing this loss as a reason to focus on test scores and scripted curricula, we encourage educators to consider what children have gained and how we might reimagine more democratic, just, and liberatory schooling as a result. We highlight two pedagogical frameworks—community engaged teaching and restorative justice—as viable alternatives to a focus on academic learning loss and SEL.

Developing Social and Emotional Learning Skills for Elementary School Students and Teachers of Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Developing Social and Emotional Learning Skills for Elementary School Students and Teachers of Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Welcome to Our Class! Building Classroom Rapport to Support the Development of Social and Emotional Learning Skills

In this article, we describe practical, usable ways teachers can build rapport with students, particularly students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. By establishing rapport, teachers can increase the effectiveness of the social and emotional learning curriculum and interventions delivered. Specifically, the warm welcomes, transitions, emotion checks, two by 10, and optimistic closures strategies are described.

Students’ Possession of Social and Emotional Learning Competencies in the Second Cycle Schools of Basic Education in the Sultanate of Oman

The study aimed to identify the degree of students’ social and emotional learning competencies in the schools of the second episode of basic education in Oman after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the researchers used the descriptive curriculum. The questionnaire of the OECD study was used for social and emotional skills in learning (Kankaraš and Suarez-Alvarez, 2019) which consisted of 5 competencies and 30 indicators: accomplishing tasks; emotional organization; dealing with others; cooperation; and openness. The results of the study showed that the overall degree of students’ ownership of social and emotional learning competencies was largely, with an average account (3.70), 74%, and a degree of ownership of each competency to a large extent, and in proportions percentage, ranged from 60.3% to 82%. There are statistically significant differences in the degree to which students have social and emotional learning competencies in the schools of the second episode of basic education in Oman in the total degree attributable to the sex variable, in favor of females (female students), while there are no statistically significant differences in the degree to which students have the competencies of social and emotional learning in the overall degree depending on the age variable. The study recommended that social and emotional learning skills be integrated into the curriculum, and that the Ministry of Education adopt courses, workshops, and lectures on emotional social learning programs aimed at educating all educational, community and media institutions.

Aiming High: Applying Goal Setting to Social and Emotional Learning Skills in the Elementary Classroom

Goal setting is used to track progress on academic and behavioral outcomes. It can also be extremely effective in monitoring progress toward social and emotional learning (SEL) goals. In this article, we provide an overview of effective goal setting in the classroom to support SEL skill acquisition and development, and practical examples of how to implement goal setting with elementary students with and at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. Examples of progress monitoring and ideas for how to intensify goal supports are described.

How Mindfulness Strategies Can Support Social and Emotional Learning Skill Development for Elementary Grade Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The best social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum can be difficult to implement when students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are unregulated and unprepared to engage in instruction. Daily mindfulness practices can help students with and at risk for EBD regulate their emotions and behaviors and be prepared for instruction. In this article, we provide examples and models of how informal mindfulness strategies can be incorporated into the elementary classroom to support student SEL growth. We also address how SEL instruction can be intensified using explicit mindfulness intervention programs to help meet the needs of students with EBD.

Educators’ perspectives on the relevance of Social and Emotional Learning skills in South Africa

Youth have difficulty making the transition from education to the workplace in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. High levels of youth unemployment prevail in South Africa, and it is necessary to find ways to assist youth to enter the workplace. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to explore how educators view the efficacy of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in the learning environment. There is evidence worldwide that implementation of SEL skills is effective for improving academic achievement as well as success in the future life. Findings indicate that 68 participating purposive selected educators, who wrote written responses to openended questionnaires, believe SEL skills would have a positive impact on the learning environment; would be essential for learners to become future ready; and would be beneficial to themselves as educators both personally and professionally. Educators referred frequently to the importance of building interpersonal relationships, self-management and social awareness skills. It would be prudent, as a next step of exploration, to collaborate with educators and learners to co-construct effective interventions and formal support structures with policymakers, for the benefit of all those in the learning environment.