Measuring the Impacts of SEL in Syria: Results from the Social-Emotional Response And Information Scenarios (SERAIS) Assessments

• In Event: Highlighted Session: The Impact of Social Emotional Learning on Social Cohesion in Fragile Contexts

Proposal

Despite the significant changes that occurred in Syria at the end of 2024, the humanitarian crisis remains complex and challenging. Approximately 7.8 million boys and girls are in urgent need of improved education that includes psychosocial support and social emotional learning with the highest rates of out-of-school children being in the areas where Concern operates.
Since 2018, Concern has been providing non-formal education programmes in Syria that include basic literacy and numeracy as well as social emotional learning (SEL). Over the years, the programme has expanded from two non-formal education centres in 2018 to 11 centres in 2025. The programme has continuously improved over time to reach the most vulnerable children and adolescents and ensure they have access to good quality education that improves their wellbeing.
Measuring the impact of the integrated SEL component is essential to ensure the programme is delivering the best results to all children. In order to measure the improvement over time, Concern uses the Social Emotional Response and Information Scenarios (SERAIS), an assessment that was developed to measure meaningful changes in children’s social-emotional skills over time. It is particularly focused on measuring the impact of programmes in crisis and conflict-affected contexts by using a scenario-based format where children are asked to interpret the actions of others and say what they would do and feel in different social situations.
This panel will present results from Concern’s education programme in Syria funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Civil Aid Operations (ECHO) from 2023 until 2025, focusing on the SERAIS data over time. It will look into:
The SERAIS assessment and its four domains: hostile attribution bias, emotional orientation, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal negotiation. Those domains allow to understand, among others, children’s tendency to interpret the behavior of others as hostile in intent when it may be benign or the strategies a child uses to deal with socially challenging situations (including verbal or physical aggressions or more positive strategies). This gives a comprehensive insight into children’s perception of conflict or into their ability to use positive interpersonal conflict resolution skills.
The process of Concern’s data collection and data analysis with the adjustments done over time to ensure disaggregation by sex, age, displacement status and disability. This has allowed the programme to identify gaps or challenges and improve the programmes for more equity and conflict sensitivity.
The latest SERAIS data with children’s social, emotional and cognitive skills between 2023 and 2025. This will particularly focus on how PSS and SEL can play a key role in improving children’s perception of conflict and their skills on conflict resolution.
This presentation will demonstrate how holistic education, integrating support for children’s psychosocial wellbeing and social and emotional skills, can improve children’s perception of conflict and contribute to greater social cohesion in post-conflict or conflict affected areas, paving the way for a more peaceful future.

Authors

• Agathe Freal, Concern Worldwide

• Monica Kassouf, Concern Worldwide

• Paul Tonkei