Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy最新文献

The present study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the evidence for universal school-based SEL programming within the United States to understand nation-specific trends in SEL implementation and effectiveness, and provide specific recommendations for marginalized students- particularly those with minority gender-, racial- ethnic, linguistic-, and disability identities, within SEL. Analyzing the effects of 90 universal school-based social and emotional learning studies, reflecting 47 discrete SEL programs, and 20,626 students in grades K-12 in the United States, from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2020, we report that students who participate in universal school-based SEL programs experienced significantly improved academic achievement, school functioning, social and emotional skills, attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of school climate and safety. Furthermore, programs in the United States benefited students in elementary and secondary school equally, and had the strongest outcomes for students when teachers were the program implementors. SEL programs in the United States were varied in their program features, duration, and dosage, had limited engagement with families and community, and did not show evidence of an overall follow-up effect 6 months or longer after a program ends. SEL programs were found to be equally efficacious for boys and girls meta-analytically, and systematic review of available studies revealed preliminary evidence of differential and positive effects for students with marginalized racial and ethnic identities. Limited representation of marginalized linguistic, sexual, and ability identities inhibited exploration of additional effects analytically, and descriptive results, alongside opportunities for increasing reporting and analyses are discussed.

The effectiveness of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs on child outcomes has been firmly established through student self-reporting, teacher and caregiver questionnaires, and direct assessment via performance tasks. Exploring the extent to which SEL programs can influence physiological and biological indicators may enable evaluators to shift beyond measuring what is subjectively observed or experienced, to understanding what is happening within the body, offering a valuable and objective measure of program efficacy. This systematic literature review of controlled studies examined how biological and physiological indicators have been incorporated into SEL research from Pre-K to Grade 12, the association between SEL intervention and physiological and biological indicators, and the challenges and opportunities when collecting and using these data. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria, capturing a range of neurological, hormonal, and autonomic outcomes. Our review found preliminary evidence that SEL programs may influence students’ cortisol, cardiovascular reactivity, and brain functioning, potentially linked to an underlying reduction in stress. It offers an initial step towards deepening understanding of the connections between social-emotional health, physical health, and well-being.

Impact statement

Our understanding of how social and emotional learning programs benefit students is largely based on performance tasks and student, teacher and caregiver perspectives captured through questionnaires. Moving beyond what is subjectively observed or experienced to understanding what is happening within the body may uncover new insights into program impact. This systematic literature review captures 14 studies that explore the relationships between social and emotional learning programs and physiological and biological indicators in children from pre-K to Grade 12. It offers an initial step towards improving knowledge of the connections between social-emotional competence, physical health, and wellbeing.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is significant for providing children with adequate skills so that they can shape a supportive society. Even though children’s moral self-concept (MSC) and their prosocial behavior are critical components of SEL, research on their association and development is comparatively novel. In a longitudinal study, we investigated the associations between children’s MSC, their normative stances, and their sharing behavior. Data of N = 500 preschoolers with an average age of 61 months at t1 (SD = 4.61) were analyzed in a mixed-method design across the period of one year (t1–t3) with structural equation models. Findings revealed sharing behavior as a stable predictor for subsequent MSC across time. As children got older, their normative stances predicted sharing behavior. This connection was further moderated by their MSC. Our findings are the first to depict stable longitudinal predictive effects of prior sharing behavior on subsequent MSC, highlighting preschool age as a critical stage in the formation of MSC. Overall, they demonstrate how in the course of the preschool years, the MSC and normative stances developmentally interact in their relation to prosocial behavior.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been lauded as important for student success. However, little guidance is available for how educators, scholars, and policymakers can work together to improve SEL implementation in public schools across a state. Here, we describe CalHOPE Student Support – an effort to “sow the seeds” of SEL across California. Invoking the metaphor of a garden, we first discuss the historic developments in California that readied the ground for such work. Then, we lift up the voices of education leaders who have been catalysts for transforming the landscape. Next, we describe our collective vision for a “thriving garden” – the process and outcomes we aim to achieve. We then explain how we harmonized essential elements (e.g., information, support, values, and action) into a comprehensive system for statewide SEL implementation. Then, we share information about our garden’s yield – our successes and ongoing struggles, through the voices of our collaborators. We end with a synthesis of lessons learned (e.g., build capacity for change-making, differentiate support, plan for turnover) for use by other educational leaders seeking to advance SEL in their regions.

Even when high-quality, evidence-based social-emotional supports and services are available, accessing them can be challenging, confusing, or impossible for some families, especially for families experiencing homelessness. We utilized thematic analysis to explore the knowledge, skills, and networks (also known as community cultural wealth) that families experiencing homelessness use to promote their children’s social-emotional development. We also explored barriers to accessing needed services and families’ own recommendations to make the social-emotional health system more equitable and accessible. Parents reported that they were the most important people who promoted their child’s social emotional development and that their own personal strengths provided an avenue for buffering impacts of systemic challenges. Additionally, positive interactions with support people and positive experiences with programs were highly valued and impactful for families. Parents also reported barriers that interfere with receiving high quality social-emotional health services, including: (a) lack of awareness of available services and resources, (b) cost and eligibility criteria that were prohibitive, (c) negative experiences with service providers, (d) logistical barriers, and (e) personal challenges. Parents provided recommendations which guided our discussion of practice, policy, and research implications.

Media and technology have come to play a ubiquitous role in children’s lives. In response, researchers continue to explore the impact of media and technology on children’s overall health and development. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our paradigms have increasingly shifted from asking whether technology is influencing children’s experiences to how technology is influencing child development. Accordingly, numerous studies using varied theoretical frameworks document how context, content, and amount of media and technology use influence children’s social–emotional skill development. This perspectives paper collates and synthesizes theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence relevant to children ages 0-12 years to address the question, “What are the ways, positive and negative, that media and technology use impact children’s social and emotional learning (SEL)?” Our findings point toward opportunities to mitigate barriers and leverage facilitators to support children’s social–emotional learning and development as we progress into a technology-driven future.

Previous evidence suggests that empathy is important for promoting positive youth development, and there is growing advocacy for the inclusion of empathy education within the school system. However, knowledge about the efficacy of empathy-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes in post-primary school settings is limited. The current research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, empathy-based SEL programme (i.e., Activating Social Empathy; ASE) in promoting empathy and prosocial responding among secondary school students in Ireland.

Method

Participants included 539 (91 male, 392 female, 56 other) students from nine secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland (M_age = 14.29; SD =.83). Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control condition, and completed self-report questionnaires at pre-test and post-test.

Results

Results from mediated regression models indicated that, in comparison to the control group, participants in the intervention condition showed significantly higher levels of empathy post-test. Results also indicated that empathy significantly mediated the relationship between condition and youth’s prosocial behaviour, emotional efficacy, and social responsibility.

Discussion

Overall, the findings from this study indicated that participation in the ASE programme was directly associated with higher empathy, which in turn was indirectly linked with greater prosocial responding, social responsibility, and emotional efficacy. Given the growing importance placed on the inclusion of SEL within education curricula internationally, and robust associations between empathy and positive youth development, these findings have important implications for school-related research, policy and practice.

States have made tremendous growth within the last decade developing and implementing statutory, regulatory, and non-regulatory policies and practices that center student and adult social, emotional, and academic development. Almost all states have some form of guidance or support for local education agencies (LEAs) to implement social and emotional learning (SEL) and over half of states have SEL standards or competencies. Even with this growth, empirical evidence is limited on how state SEL policies and practices influence local implementation. To begin to address this gap, the authors interviewed 16 state education agency (SEA) staff from 13 states to explore what they perceive as effective SEL implementation and any evidence that supports their claim. Through exploring the arc of the development, implementation, and evaluation of their state SEL policies and practices, SEA staff uplifted the significance of engaging with multiple stakeholders (e.g., educators, families, and communities), the critical lever that statutory and regulatory policies hold in supporting locally-driven SEL implementation, key non-regulatory policy and practice efforts (e.g. embedded and explicit instruction, adult SEL, and systemic SEL), the importance of SEL being both a standalone effort and embedded with other pertinent initiatives, and the need for more robust data systems that help determine which policies and practices best support student and adult social, emotional, and academic development.

Study aims were to describe school engagement in strategies to support implementation of a universal SEL program and examine whether strategy engagement predicted end-of-year program adherence (i.e., lesson completion). A multiple case study evaluation was utilized with schools implementing the Second Step® Elementary and Middle School digital program. School implementation leaders (N = 222) completed a survey in fall 2022, indicating level of engagement in four strategies: (1) communication of a shared SEL vision, (2) creation of an implementation plan, (3) identification of data to monitor implementation progress, and (4) provision of SEL training to school staff. They also reported on leader support for the program and barriers to implementation. A small majority of respondents (62%) reported communicating a shared SEL vision to all staff. Less than half to half of respondents (29–51%) reported engaging in the other strategies, and those with an implementation team were more likely to engage in strategies. Schools with a shared SEL vision and an implementation plan were less likely to report encountering barriers to implementation. Having identified data to monitor implementation progress was the only strategy that predicted higher levels of lesson completion.

Transformative social and emotional learning (SEL) is an approach that prioritizes an explicit focus on equity and social justice. In this case study, we explored: how do teachers modify their SEL teaching practices and curricula to incorporate a transformative SEL focus on community issues and social justice? Through analyses of qualitative data from student and teacher interviews and classroom observations as well as quantitative data from surveys administered to students and teachers, we illustrate how teachers at one middle school in Chicago stretched from conventional notions of SEL to engage social justice issues more proactively in their SEL implementation in four key ways: Connecting through Language, Connecting to Students’ Social Identities, Addressing Social Issues, and Encouraging Civic Engagement and Activism. We conclude with support for teachers interested in adapting these practices in their classrooms.