The Adverse Effects of Social and Emotional Learning

• In Event: Accelerating Student Academic Achievement and Well-Being Through Social and Emotional Learning: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Objective. All education programs have the potential to, and likely do, cause unintended effects under certain conditions. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of such effects, also referred to as iatrogenic effects (Illich, 1976), and the factors that potentially drive them with the ultimate aim of reducing them. In this study, we address this gap in knowledge of iatrogenic effects for SEL on student mental health outcomes and effects by the racial composition of studies. On the political left, some social justice advocates have claimed that SEL harms racial and ethnic minorities, however there has been no systematic evaluation to test these claims despite their popularity.

Perspective. While there are differing perspectives on social and emotional learning (SEL), the predominant form of SEL is referred to as skills-based SEL, concerns the explicit teaching of affective, cognitive, and behavioral skills and strategies that underscore learning.

Method. We use extant, publicly available data to address four questions: 1) How common are iatrogenic effects in SEL interventions on student mental health outcomes? 2) What SEL program characteristics are associated with adverse mental health effects? 3) What are the characteristics of studies of SEL that are associated with adverse mental health effects?, and 4) Are adverse effects greater for SEL studies with predominantly Black students?

Data. This study is a secondary data analysis of a registered meta-analysis. We use Hedges’ g for all measures of effect sizes. To estimate the overall effective size of negative and positive effects, we first split the sample by negative and positive effects and then estimated the overall effect for each sample in the same way estimated mean effects in the original paper. This approach involved fitting a correlated and hierarchical effects model using robust variance estimation. We then applied a sandwich estimator and calculated confidence intervals.

Results. From a sample of 183 studies that reported any mental health outcomes for youth (including internalizing or externalizing outcomes), we found 19 studies (10.4%) producing all negative mental health effects. Across all possible mental health effect sizes (k = 672), 21.7% were negative compared to 78.3% positive mental health effects, The distribution of only negative mental health effects from SEL programs did not vary significantly by country, study design, year available, or publication status. However, studies of predominantly Black students differed from studies of non-predominantly Black students, with studies of predominantly Black students being less likely to have at least one negative mental health effect (25% compared to 43.8%) and all negative mental health effects (0% compared to 9.4%) than studies of not-predominately Black students. See Table 2 and Figure 2.

Implications. Findings necessitate that the field of SEL grapple with two seemingly contradictory realities: while SEL is, on average, beneficial to students, it also carries some notable adverse effects that warrant deeper study and mitigation. In our current climate of hyperpolarization, where SEL often finds itself at the center of political debates, embracing this nuanced perspective poses significant challenges and risks.

Authors

• Michael Strambler, Yale School of Medicine

• Christina Cipriano, Yale University