The effectiveness of a contextually-grounded social emotional learning program in Haiti: A pilot cluster randomized control trial

• In Event: Lessons on implementing and measuring evidence-based SEL interventions in complex environments

Proposal

Background and relevance: Social emotional learning (SEL) typically refers to universal prevention programming designed to enhance children’s social and emotional outcomes via classroom environments that facilitate the development of positive teacher-student relationships and integrate the direct delivery of skill-teaching exercises on a range of social emotional competencies, including emotional awareness, interpersonal skills, and prosocial behaviors (Payton et al., 2000). Supporting social and emotional development during childhood is an essential component of promoting positive outcomes for individuals as they age into adolescence and adulthood. However, despite a recent increase in SEL programming across high-income countries, there remains a large gap in literature on the effectiveness of programs in low- and middle-income nations and conflict-affected settings. Addressing this gap is an important step for global health and educational equity.

Methods: The specific SEL intervention approach evaluated in the current study was rooted in a community-based participatory framework. The implementing agency, Catholic Relief Services, conducted initial assessments, including focus groups with students, teachers, school administrators, and parents in participating schools, to evaluate the key needs of students and teachers. Feedback was also obtained from an inspector of the Ministry of Education in Haiti and classroom observations of student and teacher behavior were conducted in order to identify additional needs. This feedback was used to inform the SEL program development and implementation, and the current study is a pilot trial aimed at providing preliminary evidence of the effectiveness this program. In the current study, 4th-6th grade classrooms in N=10 schools (n=39 teachers, n=1036 students; approximately 61.9% female) were randomly allocated to the SEL or wait-list control condition.

Results: The SEL program was associated with significant improvement in teacher’s reports of student achievement orientation (dr=1.21). There were no significant differences between conditions on peer sensitivity, teacher-pupil interactions, safety, or overall climate. The magnitude of effects, however, indicated improvements in school safety (small effect, dr=-0.22). Effect sizes for peer sensitivity and teacher-pupil interactions were below the cut-off for small effect size. Teachers in the SEL conditions reported significant improvement in students’ problem-solving skills and responsible decision making that were small to medium in magnitude (dr=0.42, dr=0.35). No significant differences between groups emerged for self-management, social awareness, self-awareness, or relationship skills. Effect sizes for these dimensions also fell below the cut-off for small effect size. At post-test, a significantly smaller percentage of students in the SEL condition fell in the clinically significant range, suggesting that the SEL program was effective in reducing clinically significant difficulties in student social emotional functioning (χ2=25.33, p<0.001; 37.8% of student in control group vs. 21.6% of students in the SEL group with clinically significant difficulties in social emotional skills).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that this community-developed, contextually-relevant SEL curriculum holds promise and was effective in improving classroom achievement orientation and student problem-solving skills even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened insecurity due to political violence.

Author

• Catherine A. Maloney, University of Notre Dame