Impacts of Social and Emotional Learning Interventions for Teachers on Teachers' Outcomes: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Teaching is among the most emotionally demanding jobs, impacting teachers' personal lives and job performance. Since teaching-specific stressors are mainly socio-emotional related, social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions targeting teachers have increased rapidly in recent years. This study conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis of 43 empirical studies which evaluated the efficacy of school-based SEL interventions involving 3,004 in-service preK-12 teachers. The initial systematic review showed that these interventions were very heterogeneous and the research on their efficacy assessed widely distinct outcome variables. Concerning the meta-analysis, results showed statistically significant small to medium effect sizes favoring the experimental group, with SEL interventions impacting teachers' social and emotional competence [g = 0.59, 95% CI (0.29, 0.90)], well-being [g = 0.35, 95% CI (0.16, 0.54)], and psychological distress [g = −0.34, 95% CI (−0.57, −0.10)]. Meta-regressions did not reveal significant values of the explanatory variables, and publication bias was found for social and emotional competence and well-being domains. Findings add to growing empirical evidence regarding the impact of these interventions and contribute to the development of guidelines for the design of effective SEL interventions for teachers.

How Presenteeism Shaped Teacher Burnout in Cyberbullying Among Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It would also be important to develop strategic training programs backed by governmental institutions and parents’ associations based on social and emotional learning strategies ( Oliveira et al, 2021a ) to minimize the potential impact of observing cyberbullying on teachers’ productivity loss due to presenteeism and burnout. These programs could take on a whole-institution systemic approach and could include specific and tailored strategies involving social and emotional learning core areas, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making ( Durlak et al, 2015 ; Oliveira et al, 2021b ).…”

Prosocialness and Happiness in Chilean Student Teachers

“…This is due to the increasing number of reports that place prosocialness as positively associated with socioemotional development (Baiocco et al, 2018;García and Tully, 2020), which in turn is related to a wide range of issues, such as the development of self-esteem (Garaigordobil and García De Galdeano, 2006), psychosocial adjustment (Eisenberg and Fabes, 1998;Xiong et al, 2021), and group integration (Plazas et al, 2010). Consequently, it is also related to better academic results (Bandura et al, 1996;Cappella et al, 2013;Flórez-Donado et al, 2018), which subsequently reinforces the indications that point out the relevance of socioemotional education in teacher training, which can amplify the effect of positive modeling they would have for their future students (Cefai et al, 2018;García-Vázquez et al, 2020;Zee et al, 2020;Oliveira et al, 2021;Sezen-Gultekin et al, 2021).…”

“…At the same time, the recognition of these expressions should be fostered from an early age, since they provide positive opportunities for socialization (García and Tully, 2020). This addresses the processes of initial teacher training directly because students' socioemotional development requires the social and emotional training of the teachers (Cefai et al, 2018;García-Vázquez et al, 2020;Zee et al, 2020;Oliveira et al, 2021;Sezen-Gultekin et al, 2021).…”

School Counselor Consultation Effects on Teachers’ Mindfulness, Stress, and Relationships

“…SEL is generally understood as a learning process that supports the capacity in children and adults to manage emotions, set and achieve goals, experience and express regard for others, and make advantageous decisions (Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning, n. d.). Reviews of SEL interventions in schools evince positive personal and learning outcomes for students (Corcoran et al, 2018; Durlak et al, 2011) and teachers’ well-being (Oliveira et al, 2021). SEL is generally consistent with the profession of school counseling, and the emergence of specific theories of practice holds promise for how SEL-informed counseling and consultation can be proffered in school environments (Lemberger-Truelove et al, 2020).…”