Making the most out of school-based prevention: lessons from the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) programme

This paper considers the role played by universal, school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes in addressing the mental health needs of children and young people. Theory and research in the field are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) programme in England, a flagship National Strategy under the New Labour government whose outcomes were mixed. We examine the findings of the various evaluations of SEAL and consider what learning can be taken forward to inform future attempts to prevent emotional and behavioural problems in school settings. Recommendations include proper trialling of SEL initiatives before they are brought to scale, the use of research to inform and improve programme design, the need to temper expectations, and the importance of educating implementers about the importance of implementation quality.     

‘We are trying to make them good citizens’: The utilisation of SEAL to develop ‘appropriate’ social,emotional and behavioural skills amongst pupils attending disadvantaged primary schools

This paper focuses on primary school staff members’ interpretations of the UK social and emotional learning initiative: SEAL. The data, collected through group and individual interviews with a range of staff members working in schools located in deprived areas, illustrate how the scheme has been used to encourage various behaviours. This utilisation of SEAL was influenced by staff members’ perceptions of the pupils’ parents, and particularly their in/ability to develop ‘appropriate’ social, emotional and behavioural skills. Staff members identified a range of objectionable behaviours, exhibited by the pupils, which were perceived to have been encouraged in the home. In response, schools operationalised SEAL to endorse alternative behaviours deemed ‘appropriate’. Implications of the findings, in terms of marginalising the values and ‘othering’ the practices of specific sections of society, are discussed, and recommendations are made for a more democratic approach to schooling which prioritises a mutual exchange of knowledge between school and home.     

How are trait emotional intelligence and social skills related to emotional and behavioural difficulties in adolescents?

Trait emotional intelligence construct shifted the interest in personality research to the investigation of the effect of global personality characteristics on behaviour. The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) movement emphasised the cultivation of social skills for positive relationships. In this paper we investigate the role of students’ global personality characteristics and social skills in the occurrence of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Five hundred fifty-nine students aged 12–14?years, completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue–ASF), the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Students with higher trait emotional intelligence and stronger social skills were less likely to present emotional and behavioural difficulties. Trait emotional intelligence along with the acquisition of social skills were influential factors of students’ emotional and behavioural difficulties. The study presents a heuristic model for the interpretation of students’ emotional and behavioural difficulties and discusses implications for educators to improve the quality of students’ lives in schools.     

The prevention of emotional and behavioural difficulties in schools: Teachers’ suggestions

Teachers are highly concerned about students with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD). Lately, much emphasis has been given to the field of prevention in schools, through the Competence‐Enhancement Perspective. Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) provide the necessary skills to be acquired by students. The current study explored Greek in‐service teachers’ perceptions of the most important cognitive, emotional and social skills students should possess, in order to prevent the occurrence of EBD. It was found that teachers emphasised the importance of emotional skills. The study acknowledges teachers’ significant role in children’s social and emotional learning and advocates their involvement in the design of skills programmes for EBD pupils.     

‘Absent fathers’, and children’s social and emotional learning: an exploration of the perceptions of ‘positive male role models’ in the primary school sector

This paper focuses on the testimonies of three male primary school staff members who utilised social and emotional learning (SEL) in their everyday practice within their respective schools. The data, collected through individual interviews, illustrate how these three men interpreted SEL, and their role in the development of children’s social, emotional and behavioural (SEB) skills, in response to their perceptions of pupils’ home-life. In particular, the sample identified the children’s fathers’ perceived ability/inability as a main cause of pupils’ SEB deficiencies. Consequently, the three male staff members maintained that in order to advocate and encourage alternative, appropriate behaviours, they should act as ‘replacement fathers’ and become ‘role models’. The findings contribute to existing debates relating to the notion of ‘positive male role models’ in primary schools and the propensity for staff to engage in parental blame. The implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions that call for a more democratic and cooperative exchange of knowledge between parents and teachers are made.     

Using video self-modelling to increase active learning responses during small-group reading instruction for primary school pupils with social emotional and mental health difficulties

Effectiveness of a video self-modelling (VSM) intervention was examined with primary schoolchildren who attended a full-time special education programme for pupils with social emotional and behavioural difficulties and who exhibited inappropriate behaviour during small-group reading instruction. A randomised multiple-probe baseline design was used in this study in four subjects with a follow-up phase 6 weeks after intervention. Four children aged 10 were videotaped during reading instruction to determine levels of active learning and behavioural difficulties. Intervention took place at the teacher’s desk or table 3–5 minutes immediately before the child’s designated time for reading group instruction. During intervention, the children were shown carefully selected brief segments of their own video that had been recorded during the previous session. Results indicated VSM was an effective intervention for increasing active learning responses and for reducing behavioural difficulties during reading instruction. Optimum results were maintained for more than 8 weeks after intervention. These results support VSM as an effective antecedent intervention and add to the growing body of evidence-based practices for elementary school pupils who have social emotional and mental health difficulties.     

Developing an emotional awareness programme for pupils with moderate learning difficulties at Durants School

Abstract

Emotional awareness programmes and initiatives in education have a high profile. Training courses in emotional literacy and emotional literacy projects are being promoted nationwide. However, whilst many successful projects and programmes have taken place in the context of mainstream school settings, by comparison relatively fewer projects have been reported in special school settings. A seven-week emotional awareness project was designed for seven pupils in a Year 8 form group (12–13 years of age) who were presenting with emotional and emotional/behavioural difficulties in Durants School, which caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The project drew upon principles of circle time and placed emphasis on multisensory activities and role play. The purpose of the project was to identify whether an emotional awareness programme would lead to an increase in the pupils’ awareness and understanding of their own emotions, and whether an awareness of other people’s feelings/emotions could be integrated as a core module of the school’s personal, social and health education curriculum. This project illustrates that an emotional awareness programme can be adapted creatively for pupils with special educational and learning needs without involving expensive resources, and can give pupils life skills that can be applied both in and out of the classroom.     

Preferential treatment or unwanted in mainstream schools? The perceptions of parents and teachers with regards to pupils with special educational needs and challenging behaviour

This study explored the perceptions of parents and teachers regarding the differential treatment or stigma experienced by pupils with challenging behaviour – more specifically, those with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), as well as children with visible special educational needs (Down's syndrome and/or profound and multiple learning difficulties) who frequently displayed challenging behaviour as a characteristic of their SEN. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with ten parents of children with challenging behaviour, together with 15 educational practitioners employed in mainstream and BESD schools. Findings revealed how several parents, and staff employed in BESD schools, viewed pupils with challenging behaviour as ‘unwanted’ in mainstream schools. The remaining parents, as well as mainstream practitioners, reported the opposite and indicated that these pupils received treatment deemed to be ‘preferential’ in the mainstream. This has direct implications for those concerned with supporting pupils with challenging behaviour in mainstream settings.     

Early intervention in behaviour

Abstract

FAST-Track is a support programme for pupils with social and emotional behaviour difficulties. It is designed to integrate the school curriculum, social skills training, reading development, parenting skills and home-school liaison. A 3 year longitudinal study is reported in which schools implementing the full FAST-Track programme were compared with those implementing only the curriculum component. Changes in behaviour were monitored using an amended version of the Rutter Behaviour Rating Scale. Results did not show any clear difference between the two groups of schools but did show substantial differences between individual schools, highlighting the difficulty of demonstrating the effectiveness of intervention programmes given the multiplicity of other factors which determine behaviour change. The implications of these findings for the methodology and practice of intervention programmes in this area are explored.     

Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Second Grade Students: A Study of the Strong Start Curriculum

The promotion of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools may help prevent emotional and behavioral problems of students. This study evaluated the effects of a SEL curriculum, Strong Start, on the social-emotional competence of 26 second grade students, using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. Results revealed statistically significant and meaningful improvements in teacher ratings of students’ internalizing and peer-related pro-social behaviors, particularly for students at greater risk. Conversely, control group students experienced significant worsening of internalizing behaviors and decreased levels of peer-related pro-social behaviors. No changes were reported in externalizing behaviors for either group. Treatment integrity and social validity ratings of Strong Start were high. Limitations and implications of this study are addressed. The authors are listed alphabetically by last name and all shared equally in the preparation of this paper.     

An empirical basis for linking social and emotional learning to academic performance

There is general agreement about the benefits of school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions in relation to children and young people’s social-emotional competence, mental health, and academic achievement. However, we know little about the theorized mechanisms through which SEL leads to improved academic outcomes. The current study is the first to present an integrative model (derived from the SEL logic model) using a 3-wave (annual assessment, T1, T2, T3) longitudinal sample of 1626 (51% boys, n = 832) 9–12-year-old students (M = 9.17, SD = .31 at baseline) attending 45 elementary schools in England, drawn from a major randomized trial of a universal SEL intervention (the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies curriculum; PATHS). Using structural equation modeling that accounted for within-time covariance, data clustering, gender and prior academic attainment, we examined the temporal relations between social-emotional competence (T1), school connectedness (T2), mental health difficulties (T2), and academic attainment (T3). It was hypothesized that social-emotional competence would directly and indirectly influence academic attainment through school connectedness and mental health difficulties. Our analyses also examined whether these hypothesized relations varied as a function of intervention exposure (PATHS versus usual provision). The theorized model was partially supported. Social-emotional competence at T1 exerted a significant influence on school connectedness and mental health difficulties at T2. However, the latter was the only significant predictor and mediator of academic attainment at T3 after controlling for gender and prior academic performance. Students with greater social-emotional competence at T1 were reported to experience fewer mental health difficulties at T2, and this in turn predicted higher academic attainment at T3. Intervention exposure did not markedly influence the magnitude or statistical significance of these identified pathways. Collectively, these findings indicate some possible revisions to our current understanding regarding the role of social-emotional competence in promoting academic attainment, as its contribution appears to lay primarily in buffering the adverse effects of mental health difficulties.     

Working with ‘Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning’ (SEAL): associations with school ethos,pupil social experiences,attendance, and attainment

A programme of resources and activities relating to ‘Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning’ (SEAL) has been rolled out nationally to primary and secondary schools in the UK, but we know little about how variations in the implementation of this work relate to key indicators of school success. In the present study, a team of experienced school advisors used a semi‐structured observation and interview protocol to rate various aspects of the implementation of SEAL in 49 primary and secondary schools. A total of 2242 pupils in 29 of these schools completed measures of social experiences and school ethos. School‐level attainment and attendance statistics were collated for all participating schools. Analysis revealed that ratings indicative of a whole‐school universal approach to SEAL were significantly associated with school ethos, which in turn mediated associations with pupils’ social experiences, overall school attainment, and persistent absence. Thematic analysis of the advisors’ records illuminated key dimensions and exemplars of whole‐school implementation. Results highlight the role of school ethos in systematically connecting whole‐school practices relating to SEAL with key indicators of school success. Directions for further longitudinal work to elucidate specific causal mechanisms are discussed.     

The impact of trial stage,developer involvement and international transferability on universal social and emotional learning programme outcomes: a meta-analysis

Abstract

This study expands upon the extant prior meta-analytic literature by exploring previously theorised reasons for the failure of school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes to produce expected results. Eighty-nine studies reporting the effects of school-based, universal SEL programmes were examined for differential effects on the basis of: (1) stage of evaluation (efficacy or effectiveness); (2) involvement from the programme developer in the evaluation (led, involved, independent); and (3) whether the programme was implemented in its country of origin (home or away). A range of outcomes were assessed including: social-emotional competence, attitudes towards self, pro-social behaviour, conduct problems, emotional distress, academic achievement and emotional competence. Differential gains across all three factors were shown, although not always in the direction hypothesised. The findings from the current study demonstrate a revised and more complex relationship between identified factors and dictate major new directions for the field.     

Social and emotional pedagogies: critiquing the new orthodoxy of emotion in classroom behaviour management

This paper examines new structured attempts to address and manage emotions in the classroom. Critical analysis focuses on the broad emotional literacy agenda operating within schools, and more specifically the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme. Data are drawn on from an ethnographic study located in Behaviour Support Units in three mainstream, inner‐city comprehensives to highlight the gap between the ‘rational emotionality’ being promoted and the fraught, and often uncontainable, emotions that drive everyday school life. It is also argued that the therapeutic model underpinning SEAL activities in schools risks individualising and thereby misinterpreting socially and culturally embedded difference, pathologising particular pupils in the process.     

COLLABORATION FOR A CURRICULUM OF CARING: THE ZEITGEIST IS RIGHT

Recent catastrophic school shootings have drawn worldwide attention to issues of gun control and mental health. In the wake of these tragedies, more and more schools have begun to adopt school‐wide social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. However, we have few examples of what it looks like to integrate SEL skills into content curricula. What's more, teachers and support professionals are ill‐equipped to engage in the collaborative work necessary to effectively integrate the teaching of SEL into academic content. The collaboration described herein highlights an interdisciplinary collaboration among university faculty and graduate students from school psychology and English education to collaboratively design and evaluate standards‐based secondary English curricula that foreground SEL and themes of care.     

美国社会情绪学习标准体系及其应用

基于科学研究和实践经验相结合的美国社会情绪学习项目有助于提高学生情商,改善学习和生活态度,降低问题行为,提高学习成绩。本文从社会情绪学习的发展历程、内容框架与标准体系、具体应用等几个方面来介绍美国社会情绪学习的基本模式,为促进我国教学改革、学生的情感教育以及良好公民的培养提供参考。     

Using outdoor learning to augment social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in young people with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD)

ABSTRACT

Under-developed social and emotional learning (SEL) skills limit educational progress and make it difficult for children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) to form effective relationships with peers and ADULTS. This paper focuses on an SEL intervention set within an outdoor learning context. The research was practitioner led and used an action research (AR) approach to implement and evaluate the SEL intervention. Research participants (aged 12–13 years) were recruited from a UK special school and were all considered to have SEBD. The paper provides evidence for the specific SEL skills that participation in outdoor learning can enhance. The evidence suggests that outdoor learning can be an effective approach for educators wishing to augment the SEL skills of young people with SEBD.     

An Evaluation of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies Curriculum at Key Stage 1

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) is a curriculum designed to promote social and emotional thinking in primary aged pupils. Research in the US has indicated that where used there has been an increase in emotional understanding and a decrease in behavioural difficulties. This study relates to 287 children (114 from intervention schools and 173 controls). Pre‐ and post‐assessment using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) indicated a significant improvement on all five dimensions for the intervention group but not the control. Teacher interviews also indicated that they perceived the programme to have helped children acquire a better understanding of emotions and to have fostered better empathy and self‐control skills.     

A healthy start: promoting mental health and well-being in the early primary school years

Mental health problems in children represent a significant international health concern, with up to one in five children using mental health services during the course of any given year. Identifying the processes of what prevents social, emotional and behaviour difficulties (SEBD) and promotes healthy development from an early age can make a significant contribution to the promotion of positive mental health in children. This article describes a longitudinal study which sought to identify the risk and promotive factors as young children move from the early to junior years in primary school. Multilevel analysis was used to identify the individual, classroom, school, home and community factors that predict change in SEBD and in prosocial behaviour in the early school years. It also calculated the cumulative effect of the various risk and promotive factors on the pupils’ well-being and mental health. The article presents the windows of vulnerability and opportunity for young children’s healthy development, proposing a trajectory for healthy development in early and middle childhood.     

Embedding mental health support in schools: learning from the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) national evaluation

The Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme was a nationwide initiative that funded mental health provision in schools for pupils at risk of or already experiencing mental health problems. The implementation, impact and experience of this programme was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative methodology involving three main studies: (1) a 1-year RCT involving 8658 8–10 year olds and 6583 11–13 year olds, (2) a 3-year longitudinal study involving 3346 8–10 year olds and 2647 11–13 year olds and (3) qualitative interviews with 26 TaMHS workers, 31 school staff, 15 parents and 60 pupils. The RCT demonstrated that TaMHS led to reductions in behaviour problems but not emotional problems for 8–10 year olds. No impact was found for 11–13 year olds. The effects on behaviour problems in primary school were enhanced by the provision of evidence based self-help materials, but not by other area level support. The longitudinal study found information giving and good inter-agency working correlated with more positive outcomes for behavioural problems in secondary schools. The qualitative findings indicated that TaMHS was well received by all groups, though challenges to its implementation were noted. Overall, findings indicate the utility of targeted mental health provision in schools, particularly in primary settings. The implications for implementation are discussed.