Socioemotional Learning in Brazilian schools: Effects on Perceptions of Aggression and Peer Victimization

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Initiatives towards enhancing children's social and emotional development through programs and school practices have a number of benefits (Durlak et al., 2011), including reduced levels of aggression and peer victimization. In addition to the main effects of instructional activities to enhance social and emotional learning (SEL) on peer victimization, this association can be mediated by improvements in the child's behaviors. The present study examines the associations between student perceptions of socioemotional skills and aggression and peer victimization at elementary school, as well as the effect of students’ perceptions of SEL techniques on this association. Our initial hypotheses were based on (Nickerson et al., 2019): SEL techniques are negatively associated with aggression and peer victimization; SEL techniques are positively associated with socioemotional skills; socioemotional skills are negatively associated with peer victimization and aggression. Participants were 3,964 elementary school students from Brazil (4th and 5th years), mean age = 9.57, SD = 0.91, gender (48.4% male; 51.6% female). Students completed Self-report measures of SEL instruction (e.g. “students are told to feel responsible for their actions”; α(7) = .71), socioemotional skills self-report (e.g. "I blame others when I'm in trouble "; α(12) = .76); Meanwhile, we also collected data on aggression (e.g. “I hit or kick others”; α(6) = 0.78) and victimization (e.g. “others hit or kick me”; α(6) = 0.79). Multigroup structural equations modeling was used for data analysis. In order to test the hypotheses, we’ve checked the direct effect of SEL techniques on aggression and peer victimization, and the associations between socioemotional skills and aggression and peer victimization. We’ve also tested the indirect effect of the SEL techniques on aggression and peer victimization mediated by socioemotional skills. SEL techniques were a positive correlate of students' socioemotional skills for boys and girls (β = .54, S.E. = .02, p < .01), and SEL skills mediated the effect of SEL techniques on aggression (boys: β = -.33, S.E. = .02, p < .01; girls: -.29, S.E. = .04, p < .01) and victimization (boys: β = -.15, S.E. = .05, p < .01; girls: -.14, S.E. = .04, p < .01). The direct effect of SEL techniques on aggression and victimization was not significant either for boys nor for girls. The results point out that the importance of SEL as part of the development of students in the school environment, as it is a negative predictor of aggression behaviors as well as peer victimization for boys and girls. However, the direct effect of SEL techniques on aggression and victimization was not significant as hypothesized. These findings showed that SEL, even having indirect effects, might be an important way to reduce, attenuate or even prevent aggression and peer victimization among students. Although these results are a little bit different from (Nickerson et al., 2019), they also highlight the importance of SEL as part of the development of students in the school environment, as it is a negative predictor of aggression behaviors as well as peer victimization among students.

Authors

• Cintia Graziela Mosson de Carvalho, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Aline Roza, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)
  Presenting Author

• Vitor Yano, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Josafá M. Da Cunha, Federal University of Parana
  Non-Presenting Author