Examining the Efficacy of the Spanish Cultural Translation of the Student Success Skills Program to Improve Academic Achievement

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of a Spanish cultural translation of the Student Success Skills classroom program, influenced by individual psychology and humanistic counseling, to improve standardized test scores of Hispanic high school students (N = 352). Analysis of covariance findings revealed a statistically significant difference between treatment and comparison groups.

Understanding the role of acculturative stress on refugee youth mental health: A systematic review and ecological approach to assessment and intervention

“…Researchers have adapted SEL programs to teach ethnic minority students about the importance of being self and socially aware, through the incorporation of ethnic identity and ethnic pride within these lessons. This work has shown to not only be effective at increasing student’s ethnic identity, and SEL skills, but also has been shown to be well accepted by the target students (Graves et al., 2017; Urbina, Villares, & Mariani, 2017).…”

The effects of Student Success Skills on attendance and emotion regulation

“…Finally, despite detecting small (d) ESs for each dependent variable, these results must be interpreted within the school counseling literature and research of culturally responsive, evidence-based programs delivered to minority students. Prior SSS studies involving Hispanic students primarily produced larger ESs when exploring the SSS program's impact on standardized test scores (León et al, 2011;Urbina et al, 2017;Villares et al, 2012Villares et al, , 2023. While the ESs appear small in the current study, school counselors can use these results to advocate for reviewing their school and district policies, procedures, and program services to identify which efforts promote preventative, wellness, and social justice practices (e.g., at-home literacy activities, community-based mental health screenings, and school services, violence and crime reduction, and social, economic, and community engagement) that can have long-term positive consequences on Hispanic students' success.…”

“…The body of SSS research provides evidence that when students across settings, grade levels, regions, and with varying demographic characteristics have engaged in the SSS program, they experience increases in their academic, social-emotional, and executive functioning outcomes when compared with students who did not receive the intervention (Lemberger & Clemens, 2012;Lemberger et al, 2015;Villares et al, 2012Villares et al, , 2023Webb et al, 2019). By implementing the SSS programs, minority students experienced gains in social and emotional skills that lead to better behavior and academic outcomes (León et al, 2011;Urbina et al, 2017), particularly for those who are at risk (Bowers et al, 2015;Lemberger & Clemens, 2012;Lemberger et al, 2015). Other SSS research has shown positive results in executive functioning, metacognitive skills, and feelings of connectedness (Lemberger & Clemens, 2012;Lemberger et al, 2015).…”

“…Earlier research on the SSS classroom program shows that its implementation positively affects the academic achievement of Hispanic populations in standardized testing. For example, León et al (2011) and Urbina et al (2017) studied the impact of the cultural translation of the SSS classroom program for Latina/Latino students when using standardized test measurement. In both studies, students in the treatment group reported positive improvements in reading and math scores in state standardized tests.…”

Positive Psychology Characteristics as Predictors of School Climate Among Hispanic/Latinx Students

“…Therefore, school counselors should collaborate with classroom teachers to implement evidence-based social/emotional learning (SEL) curriculums (e.g., Student Success Skills [SSS]) during the traditional school day to bridge academic gaps and promote social/emotional development (Castro-Olivo, 2014). A recent study by Urbina and colleagues (2017) determined that cultural adaptations of existing evidence-based interventions (i.e., Spanish Cultural Translation of the SSS [SCT-SSS]) can assist bilingual students in understanding and acquiring necessary cognitive and social skills in a school counselor–led SEL intervention grounded in individual psychology.…”