Social and emotional learning during early adolescence: Effectiveness of a classroom‐based SEL program for middle school students

Abstract

Early adolescence and the transition to middle school bring about many challenges for students and negative outcomes are not uncommon, including academic decline and social maladjustment. This developmental period is also marked by increased risk of mental health-related difficulties. Strengthening students' social and emotional competencies through the delivery of school-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs has been suggested as one strategy for promoting positive development and preventing negative outcomes. In particular, the delivery of developmentally appropriate and evidence-based SEL programs at the universal level of tiered supports has the potential to benefit many students. The current study presents findings from a randomized controlled trial of the Speaking to the Potential, Ability, and Resilience Inside Every Kid (SPARK) Pre-Teen Mentoring Curriculum for 357 students from two schools. Results revealed that students who received the curriculum showed significant improvements in knowledge of curriculum content and principles; communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills; emotional regulation; and resilience compared to students in the comparison condition. Results provide initial evidence for the This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Adolescents' Resilience During COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Mediating Role in the Association Between SEL Skills and Mental Health

“…Recent evidence also suggests that social and emotional competences tend to decline from childhood to adolescence (Ciucci et al, 2016;West et al, 2018;Green et al, 2021). However, studies focusing on how the core five SEL skills develop throughout adolescence and how they impact on mental health are still limited (West et al, 2020;Farina et al, 2021) with research tending to mainly explore social and emotional skills and mental health during early childhood or primary school periods (e.g., Ahlen et al, 2015).…”

Three Principles, Expertise and Well-being: Introducing the 3PHR-scale

“…To date, Banks's 3PHR theory has received only a smattering of empirical research on its effectiveness as a mental health intervention [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] . Studies suggest a marked increase in measurements of well-being in participants, even among those from high-risk populations [38][39][40][41] .…”

“…This is because some previous research failed to report any 3PHR measurement 37,46 . Other research used a 3PHR measurement 34,38,44,41,47 but without demonstrating its relationship to the observed changes (i.e., no mediation analysis was reported). The absence of such analyses allows for the possibility that confounding variables are responsible for the reported results, such as the relative attention that participants in the experimental group received during the intervention.…”

“…Studies suggest a marked increase in measurements of well-being in participants, even among those from high-risk populations [38][39][40][41] . Examples of preliminary results include (a) increases in resilience, mastery, self-e cacy, optimism, adaptability, and tolerance in U.S. and U.K. middle and high school-aged children 34,36 ; (b) decreases in depression, anxiety, and anger and increases in well-being and purpose in life in English male inmates 38 ; increases in levels of coping, self-control, seeking social support, positive reappraisal, and fewer negative coping styles in female Somali refugees 47 ; and (d) increases in levels of communication, decision making, problem solving, emotional regulation, and resilience among U.S. middle school students 44,45 .…”

Social Competences That Foster Adaptation During the Post-Pandemic Period

“…These skills are manifested in the form of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, which in turn take the form of formal and informal learning experiences, influencing the results of the individual throughout life (John & DeFruyt, 2015;Murano et al, 2020). Maintaining healthy relationships, the ability to cope with daily challenges, maintaining overall health and well-being are conditioned by social and emotional skills (West et al, 2016(West et al, , 2020Green et al, 2021).…”