3-184 - Using Media to Promote Social Emotional Learning in Children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The rise in children’s media products has drawn attention to the effects of child media use on development. Increasing focus is aimed at the positive effects of media use including the promotion of social emotional learning (SEL) in children. This symposium reviews the state of children’s media and evaluates the effectiveness and feasibility of different children’s media products intended to promote SEL.

The first paper explores children’s media for SEL content aired on broadcast television networks. Three levels of SEL content were identified with an emphasis on relationships over self-management. The second paper evaluates the use of videos based on the children’s book The Adventures of Taxi Dog to promote SEL. A RCT revealed significant improvements for children who received the program on pre- and post-test assessments of SEL competencies and school adjustment compared to a no treatment control group. The third paper evaluates an online videogame, Quandary, intended to engage youth in perspective-taking and ethical decision-making. A mixed-method RCT study comparing the effects of Quandary to a videogame without moral content indicated no significant differences on surveys assessing SEL, however, interviews revealed the experimental group had greater depth of response with related SEL themes. The fourth paper evaluates the use of an interactive graphic novel based on the children’s series Arthur designed to promote attributes of character. A mixed-method study demonstrated high teacher ratings of the curriculum and increased frequency of character related dialogue during media use. Together these papers investigate the application of children’s media to promote SEL.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Danielle Stacey, Tufts University

Individual Presentations

• Social-Emotional Content in Educational Television for Children - Presenting Author: Claire Genevieve Christensen, University of Illinois, Chicago; Katherine Zinsser, University of Illinois, Chicago

• Promoting Children’s Social Emotional Competence and School Success By Video: Feasibility and Outcomes of The Taxi Dog Curriculum - Presenting Author: Kimberly A Schonert-Reichl, Univ of British Columbia; Molly Lawlor, University of British Columbia; Essie Sutton, Fordham Univ; Angela Maria Jaramillo, University of British Columbia; Nicole Novak, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Michelle Sipl, University of British Columbia; Lina Sweiss, University of British Columbia

• Educational Game Play and Ethical Decision-Making: A Mixed-Method Experimental Study - Presenting Author: Lacey Hilliard, Tufts University; Mary H. Buckingham, Tufts University; G. John Geldhof, Oregon State University; Marina U. Bers, Tufts University; Richard M Lerner, Tufts University

• The Arthur Interactive Media Study: The potential of digital media and cross-age peer mentoring to promote character development - Presenting Author: Edmond P. Bowers, Clemson University; Lacey Hilliard, Tufts University; Danielle Stacey, Tufts University; Katherine Wartella, Tufts University; Jonathan M. Tirrell, Tufts University; AnneMarie McClain, Tufts University; Michelle Nguyen, Tufts University; Allison Haber, University of Massachusetts-Amherst