A Rose by any Other Name? Using Core Components to Categorize Social and Emotional Learning Provision.

Although social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits children and youth worldwide, classifying a program as SEL is insufficient to capture its variability of content. There is currently little to aid in identifying specific program content so that foci may be identified (e.g., self-management skills vs. social skills). This gap poses a difficulty for researchers attempting to address heterogeneity in SEL research and practitioners who want to select programs best suited for their contexts. This paper begins to address these concerns by extracting and contrasting 'core components' of interventions within an identified shortlist of 13 universal, elementary evidence-based programs through a distillation method using the often cited 'five core competency' model from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning). Results showed that CASEL's core competencies are represented across short-listed programs. However, almost all programs had identifiable foci, targeting a subset of skills. Accordingly, the use of 'core components' is recommended as a method for offering more nuance in SEL classification for programs beyond the current study, with implications for program implementation and the design of future research in SEL evaluation.

Social and emotional learning in primary schools: A review of the current state of evidence.

BACKGROUND: There is a plethora of reviews that summarize much of the evidence base in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). However, there are criticisms around variability of quality and focus of those reviews, meaning there is little strategic overview of the current state of the field. Further, there are rising concerns as to systemic gaps in the evidence base itself. An overview of reviews provides an opportunity for a comprehensive classification and corresponding critique of evidence. AIMS: The study sought to examine a-priori concerns regarding (1) variation in the rigour and quality of the meta-analytic and systematic evidence base, (2) comparatively less conclusive evidence for whole school approaches when compared to class-based curricula, and (3) an assumed universality of effect (i.e., lack of examination of any differential gains for sub-groups). METHOD AND RESULTS: A systematic search of the systematic and meta-analytic literature identified a total of 33 reviews examining SEL interventions. Papers were subject to a quality assessment in order to examine methodological rigour and were collated in line with the study's objectives. CONCLUSIONS: We maintain the prevailing consensus that SEL programmes have an important role in education. However, variation in evidence quality remains high and there appear ambiguities regarding what constitutes whole school approaches. The review also highlights a novel and concerning lack of data for differentiating any subgroup effects. The review concludes with recommended novel directions for future research, including adoption of more complex trial architecture in evaluation alongside a move towards a wider plurality in methodological approach.

Tell Me about Loneliness: Interviews with Young People about What Loneliness Is and How to Cope with It.

BACKGROUND: loneliness is a common experience for adolescents, yet the voices of adolescents are missing from current conceptualisations of loneliness. That means, measures that have been created based on current conceptualisations may miss important contexts of adolescence, such as the roles of friendships, that determine the way loneliness is experienced. The current study aims to centre adolescent voices to identify how they conceptualise loneliness and what strategies they consider to be useful for adolescents to cope with loneliness. METHOD: thematic framework analysis (TFA) was conducted on qualitative interviews with young people aged 8-14 years in Belgium and Italy to identify salient themes in their conceptualisations of loneliness. RESULTS: Loneliness was conceptualised as a negative emotional state involving negative thinking patterns that occurs when an individual perceives they are missing out on a desired aspect in their social relationships. Coping strategies related to alleviating negative affect, and aiding social reconnection. CONCLUSIONS: friendships with peers were understood to be central to adolescent loneliness experiences. In line with that, loneliness was seen to be experienced at school. Age-related differences in friendship expectations were identified, highlighting how developmental needs relate to the loneliness experience.

The development of cross-cultural recognition of vocal emotion during childhood and adolescence.

Humans have an innate set of emotions recognised universally. However, emotion recognition also depends on socio-cultural rules. Although adults recognise vocal emotions universally, they identify emotions more accurately in their native language. We examined developmental trajectories of universal vocal emotion recognition in children. Eighty native English speakers completed a vocal emotion recognition task in their native language (English) and foreign languages (Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic) expressing anger, happiness, sadness, fear, and neutrality. Emotion recognition was compared across 8-to-10, 11-to-13-year-olds, and adults. Measures of behavioural and emotional problems were also taken. Results showed that although emotion recognition was above chance for all languages, native English speaking children were more accurate in recognising vocal emotions in their native language. There was a larger improvement in recognising vocal emotion from the native language during adolescence. Vocal anger recognition did not improve with age for the non-native languages. This is the first study to demonstrate universality of vocal emotion recognition in children whilst supporting an "in-group advantage" for more accurate recognition in the native language. Findings highlight the role of experience in emotion recognition, have implications for child development in modern multicultural societies and address important theoretical questions about the nature of emotions.

Structural and Predictive Properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory Youth Version-Short Form (EQ-i:YV[S]).

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a popular construct with concentrated areas of application in education and health contexts. There is a need for reliable and valid measurement of EI in young people, with brief yet sensitive measures of the construct preferable for use in time-limited settings. However, the proliferation of EI measures has often outpaced rigorous psychometric evaluation (Gignac, 2009 ). Using data from 849 adolescents (407 females, 422 males) aged 11 to 16 years (M age 13.4, SD = 1.2 years), this article systematically examines the structural and predictive properties of a frequently employed measure of adolescent trait EI-the Emotional Quotient Inventory Youth Version-Short Form (EQ-i:YV[S]); Bar-On & Parker, 2000 ). Although the intended multidimensional factor structure was recovered through confirmatory factor analysis, the statistical and conceptual coherency of the underlying model was inadequate. Using a multitrait-multimethod approach, the EQ-i:YV(S) was found to converge with other measures of EI; however, evidence for divergent validity (Big Five personality dimensions) was less robust. Predictive utility for adolescent mental health outcomes (depression, disruptive behavior) was also limited. Findings suggest that use of the EQ-i:YV(S) for predictive or evaluative purposes should be avoided until refinements to the scale are made.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum.

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the efficacy of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies curriculum (PATHS; Kusche & Greenberg, 1994) as a means to improve children's social-emotional competence (assessed via the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS); Gresham & Elliot, 2008) and mental health outcomes (assessed via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); Goodman, 1997). Forty-five schools in Greater Manchester, England, were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Allocation was balanced by proportions of children eligible for free school meals and speaking English as an additional language via minimization. Children (N=4516) aged 7-9years at baseline in the participating schools were the target cohort. During the two-year trial period, teachers of this cohort in schools allocated to the intervention group delivered the PATHS curriculum, while their counterparts in the control group continued their usual provision. Teachers in PATHS schools received initial training and on-going support and assistance from trained coaches. Hierarchical linear modeling of outcome data was undertaken to identify both primary (e.g., for all children) and secondary (e.g., for children classified as "at-risk") intervention effects. A primary effect of the PATHS curriculum was found, demonstrating increases in teacher ratings of changes in children's social-emotional competence. Additionally, secondary effects of PATHS were identified, showing reductions in teacher ratings of emotional symptoms and increases in pro-social behavior and child ratings of engagement among children identified as at-risk at baseline. However, our analyses also identified primary effects favoring the usual provision group, showing reductions in teacher ratings of peer problems and emotional symptoms, and secondary effects demonstrating reductions in teacher ratings of conduct problems and child ratings of co-operation among at-risk children. Effect sizes were small in all cases. These mixed findings suggest that social and emotional learning interventions such as PATHS may not be as efficacious when implemented outside their country of origin and evaluated in independent trials.

Evaluation of the implementation and impact of an integrated prevention model on the academic progress of students with disabilities.

In this paper we report on the implementation and impact of an integrated prevention model (Achievement for All - AfA) to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students with disabilities. It comprises three inter-related strands: assessment, tracking and intervention; structured conversations with parents; and, developing provision for wider outcomes. Participants were 12,038 students with disabilities from 431 mainstream primary and secondary schools across 10 Local Authorities in England involved in the two-year AfA pilot. Pre- and post-test data on academic attainment in English and Maths were compared with national data on academic progress for students with and without disabilities over an equivalent period of time. School-level contextual and implementation data and student-level socio-demographic and psychosocial data were also collected. Four hypotheses were tested regarding the impact of AfA on academic attainment in English (H1) and Maths (H2); the influence of aspects of the implementation context and processes (H3); and individual differences between students (H4). Our findings are discussed in relation to the identification and validation of critical intervention components and standards for assessing the practical significance of attempts to improve outcomes for students.

Achievement for All: improving psychosocial outcomes for students with special educational needs and disabilities.

Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are at a greatly increased risk of experiencing poor psychosocial outcomes. Developing effective interventions that address the cause of these outcomes has therefore become a major policy priority in recent years. We report on a national evaluation of the Achievement for All (AfA) programme that was designed to improve outcomes for students with SEND through: (1) academic assessment, tracking and intervention, (2) structured conversations with parents, and (3) developing provision to improve wider outcomes (e.g. positive relationships). Using a quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test control group design, we assessed the impact of AfA on teacher ratings of the behaviour problems, positive relationships and bullying of students with SEND over an 18-month period. Participants were 4758 students with SEND drawn from 323 schools across England. Our main impact analysis demonstrated that AfA had a significant impact on all three response variables when compared to usual practice. Hierarchical linear modelling of data from the intervention group highlighted a range of school-level contextual factors and implementation activities and student-level individual differences that moderated the impact of AfA on our study outcomes. The implications of our findings are discussed, and study strengths and limitations are noted.

Social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) for secondary schools: implementation difficulties and their implications for school-based mental health promotion.

BACKGROUND: Increasing concern about adolescent mental health problems has resulted in schools being identified as central sites for their prevention (PsycInfo; ERIC 2000-2012). In this context, SEAL for secondary schools was launched in 2007. METHOD: The implementation strand of the national evaluation of secondary SEAL comprised longitudinal case studies of nine schools and used multiple methods and data sources, including interviews, observations and document review. RESULTS: Implementation was variable, both within and between schools; barriers were identified at programme, teacher and school levels. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation issues identified have implications for SEAL and school-based mental health prevention and promotion interventions more generally.