Evaluation of a Daily School-Based Social-Emotional Learning Resource for Elementary School Students

• In Event: Health promotion interventions involving children and adolescents: what works, for whom, and under which circumstances ?

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been linked with positive short- and long-term outcomes for students, prompting researchers to focus on the effective development, implementation, and evaluation of school-based social-emotional learning programs (Taylor et al., 2017; Wanless et al., 2015). The effective implementation and delivery of SEL interventions in schools, however, continues to face significant barriers, including lack of time, teacher training, and resources. Faith and Wellness: A Daily Mental Health Resource (Faith and Wellness) was designed to address the typical challenges presented by SEL intervention programs through the compilation of a series of evidence-based, implementation-sensitive SEL practices that were both simple to use and amenable to modification. This flash paper talk discusses the results of a randomized control trial evaluation of Faith and Wellness: A Daily Mental Health Resource (Faith and Wellness); a school-based, teacher-led SEL intervention for elementary school students in Ontario, Canada.
The study took place from September 2019 (Time 1; T1) to March 2020 (Time 2; T2). A planned Time 3 (June 2020) was cancelled due to COVID-19 school closures. Participants were kindergarten-grade 8 teachers (nT1=201, nT2=129) and students (nT1=242, nT2=183) from 19 English Catholic school boards in Ontario. School boards were match-paired based on unit size and urban/rural makeup, and then randomly assigned to either Group 1 (intervention group) or Group 2 (waitlist comparison group). Students participants were randomly selected from 19 of the participating teachers’ classrooms. Both teachers and students completed self-report surveys at Time 1 and then three months later, following the implementation period for the intervention group (Group 1) at Time 2. At both time points, teachers reported on SEL knowledge, SEL confidence, and SEL frequency, as well as perceptions of their students SEL competencies, classroom climate, school motivation/engagement, and academic performance. Students reported on SEL confidence, general wellbeing, classroom climate, and school liking. Group 1 participants also reported on satisfaction with the resource at Time 2.
Using mixed models to account for nesting within school boards, results indicated that teachers in the treatment group increased significantly in SEL knowledge, SEL confidence, frequency of SEL, student SEL, classroom climate, and student school motivation and engagement, whereas teachers in the comparison group did not (see Table 1). Results for students were less robust, though within Group 1, students whose teachers’ implemented practices more often showed greater increases in students’ SEL confidence, general well-being, classroom climate, and school liking.
Results of this RCT offer support for the Faith and Wellness Resource as an effective SEL intervention. Use of the Faith and Wellness Resource was associated with positive outcomes for teachers and students, at both the individual level (e.g., social-emotional skills) and at the classroom level (e.g., classroom climate). It was found that teachers were able to implement the practices regularly, and frequent delivery emerged as a key factor in the intervention’s efficacy for both teachers and students. Both teacher and students reported high levels of satisfaction with the resource. Applications of this research are discussed, as well as implications for future school-based SEL research.

Authors

• Elizabeth Al-Jbouri, Brock University
  Presenting Author

• Naomi Andrews, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emma Peddigrew, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author