Multilingual Students and Universal School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Interventions: A Systematic Review

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

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly regarded as vital to our education system, with outsized benefits for learners. Universal School-Based (USB) SEL interventions are well positioned to address systemic barriers existing at the intersection of diverse identities, such as multilingual/English Learner (EL) status. However, questions remain around how effective or accessible USBSEL is for linguistically minoritized students. Furthermore, research suggests an important nexus between language and SEL, with variable associations depending on children’s age and proficiency. Yet, research on multilingual students tends to focus on academic outcomes over children’s early SE development (Halle et al., 2011). As such, there is a need to examine how multilingual students are represented in the literature and investigate if SEL programs significantly improve multilingual students’ skills, attitudes, and behaviors.
This study aims to examine the evidence surrounding how multilingual students are represented and impacted by USBSEL interventions for students in K-12 around the world. Given the limited research on SEL for multilingual learners, the increase of EL populations, and the promise of USBSEL to advance educational equity this study focuses on two research questions:
1) Are multilingual students represented in the evidence for USBSEL interventions, if so, how and in what way?
2) Within studies that include multilingual students, how and in what way does the evidence differ between countries?
We conducted secondary data analysis using the Contemporary K-12 SEL Meta-Analysis Data Set (Authors, 2023), including 424 Studies of USBSEL Interventions inclusive of 252 USBSEL Interventions. Dataset includes experimental and quasi-experimental designs of K-12 USBSEL interventions published and unpublished in English from Jan 1, 2008 through December 31, 2020. We ran descriptive statistics of the general characteristics of the sample as they relate to the representation of multilingual students in the evidence for USBSEL interventions. Additionally, we include descriptives specific to the subsample of studies where multilingual students are represented.
Review of USBSEL programs in K-12 education around the world has revealed that of 424 studies, 13% (N = 55) reported data based on participant language status. Eight studies were found to explicitly exclude multilingual students based on their or their guardian’s language barriers (See Table 1). Across studies, language status is measured in four main ways: Non-native first language, Language spoken at home, Language Learner services, and Immigration Status. Additionally, we expand on detailed descriptives of the 55 study subset, answering questions such as: What age groups are served? What countries are represented? What SEL skills are endorsed throughout interventions? Are there differences between USA and international studies on interventions used, skills endorsed, and outcomes of interest? (See Tables 2 and 3).
With increased popularity, funding, and focus on USBSEL from educators, program developers, and researchers, it is imperative that multilingual students no longer be missing from the narrative and are accounted for in future research. The lack of multilingual student representation is significant and encourages education researchers and journals to advance reporting standards of student language status and (re)consider design, implementation, and evaluation of USBSEL interventions toward supporting language minoritized populations.

Authors

• Melissa Lucas, Yale University

• Victoria Mack, Yale University

• Miranda Wood, University of Missouri

• Kaveri Sehgal, Northeastern University