The State of the Evidence for Social and Emotional Learning: A Contemporary Meta-Analysis of Universal School-Based SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Interventions

• In Event: Contemporary Approaches to Evaluating Universal School-Based Social Emotional Learning Programs: Effectiveness for Whom and How?

Abstract

This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current evidence for universal school-based (USB) social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions for students in kindergarten through 12th grade available from 2008 through 2020. USB SEL programs support the development of intra- and inter- personal skills to promote physical and psychological health for all students in a given school or grade (CASEL, n.d.; Cipriano et al., 2023). Despite the increasing federal investments and adoption of USB SEL programs, the synthesized body of evidence for the effectiveness of USB SEL programs was neither up to date nor comprehensive (Durlak et al., 2011; Durlak et al, 2022; Greenberg, 2023).
Our analytic sample included 424 studies from 53 countries, reflecting 252 discrete USB SEL interventions, involving 575,361 students spanning grades K-12. See Figure 1 and Tables 1.1 and 1.2 for results. Overall, the three-level meta-analytic results, reflecting 1,865 outcomes across 12 domains, revealed a statistically significant intervention effect (Hedges’ g = 0.194; 95% CI= [0.166, 0.221]; p < 0.001) in favor of the SEL intervention condition compared to the control group. Nine of the twelve domain effect sizes (g range = 0.122-0.293) were statistically significant. Students who participated in USB SEL interventions demonstrated significant improvement in school climate/safety (g = 0.293, k = 119), civic attitudes/behaviors (g = 0.255, k = 15), SEL skills (g = 0.219, k = 322), peer relationships (g = 0.222, k = 84) attitudes/beliefs (g = 0.209, k = 220), prosocial behaviors (g = 0.178, k = 199), externalizing behaviors (g = 0.162, k = 367), emotional distress (g = 0.140, k = 305), school functioning (g = 0.122, k = 151), and academic achievement (g = 0.109, k = 77). Programs delivered by teachers produced significant effect size improvements in school functioning (g = 0.112, p < .05). Interventions that met all SAFE criteria showed significant effect size improvements in SEL skills (g = 0.118, p < .05), and externalizing behaviors (g = 0.098, p < .05). Programs that taught intrapersonal followed by interpersonal skills showed significant effect size improvements in experiences of school climate (g = 0.814, p < .001), and showed marginal effect size improvement in SEL skills (g = 0.097, p < .10), attitudes and beliefs (g = 0.162, p = .06), and reductions in externalizing behaviors (g = 0.081, p = .06), compared to programs that did not use this sequence. About half of the studies reviewed (55.6%) implemented programs in the same country the program was developed. Interventions with programs developed and delivered in the same country showed a marginal effect size reduction in student externalizing behaviors (g = 0.082, p = 0.06). There was evidence of publication bias and published studies had an average ES of g = 0.220 (95% CI [0.191, 0.256]).
In summary, we report robust evidence for the impact of USB SEL interventions on the social, emotional, and academic outcomes of student K-12 worldwide and critical future directs regarding minimum reporting requirements about SEL program content, outcomes, and study participants will be discussed.

Authors

• Christina Cipriano, Yale University

• Michael Strambler, Yale School of Medicine

• Cheyeon Ha, Yale University

• Megan A. Kirk Chang, University of Oxford

• Miranda Wood, University of Missouri

• Kaveri Sehgal, Northeastern University

• Michael McCarthy, Yale Child Study Center

• Abigail Eveleigh, The Urban Assembly

• Almut K. Zieher, Yale University

• Jason C. Chow, Vanderbilt University