A Comprehensive Needs Assessment to Support the Development of an SEL-Focused After-School Program

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Contextualizing SEL in Adolescence: Identifying, Assessing, and Addressing Diverse Needs (Table 14)

Abstract

We outline the process of developing a social emotional learning after-school program in collaboration with a nonprofit organization that aims at providing enriching experiences to at-risk youth and their families, including siblings of juvenile offenders, through the use of art. In the current study, we focus on the preliminary step of culturally adapting evidence-based interventions, i.e., information gathering and needs assessment. Data sources included reviewing prior literature, conducting participant observations at the nonprofit and focus group interviews with psychologists who interacted with the youth. We identified two broad target areas for intervention: 1) Need for social emotional regulation and behavioral skills training and 2) Need for facilitator training and a collaborative understanding between different members involved in the research-practice partnership.

Authors

• Manisha Naresh Nagpal, Duquesne University

• Niru Sankhala, Duquesne University

• Jessie Goicoechea, Duquesne University