Testing the Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD) approach with student mental health and academic outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Moral Development

Abstract

Social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education (or development) are often used interchangeably. Although the two approaches are complementary, there are unique differences that make each essential to the development and education of children; students require both moral and performance character, as well as the social-emotional skills in order to act in accordance with their values (Elias, 2009; Hatchimonji et al., 2017). The relationship between these two constructs, however, is not well understood. Further complicating our understanding of the relationship between SEL and character is the role of positive purpose, viewed by many as a superordinate character virtue or value (Damon & Colby, 2015), and believed to guide youths’ use of character virtues and SEL skills in prosocial ways (Hatchimonji, Linsky, & Elias, 2017).

The current study assessed whether student character virtues, SEL skills, and purpose together were predictive of student mental health reports and grades. We were specifically interested in looking at the combined effect and amount of variance each unique variable (character, SEL, and purpose) contributed when predicting student mental health and grades.

Data was collected as part of an evaluation of the MOSAIC (Mastering Our Skills And Inspiring Character) curriculum. Participants were 474 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participating in MOSAIC in an urban, Northern New Jersey school district. In the spring of 2016, students from five schools completed self-report surveys containing measures of four supporting character virtues (gratitude, forgiveness, future-mindedness, and generosity), purpose, and mental health. Teachers completed ratings of students’ SEL skills, and student grades were provided by the individual schools.

A series of hierarchical regressions were conducted to test whether student character virtues, SEL skills, and purpose were associated with student mental health reports and student grades. Using a four-step approach, we controlled for race, free or reduced lunch, and gender (step one), and tested the unique impact of students self-reported character virtues (step two), added in SEL skills (step three), and then included purpose in the final model (step four). Results revealed student mental health reports to be most strongly predicted by character virtues alone (R2 change = .12 ), while student grades were most strongly predicted by the combination of character virtues and SEL kills (R2 change = .11). Purpose did not appear to improve the predictive power of student mental health or grades when combined with character virtues or SEL skills. Hierarchical regressions were also conducted entering independent variables in varying orders (for instance, entering SEL skills or purpose at step-one), however findings mirrored the initial results with character virtues alone most strongly predicting mental health reports and the combination of character virtues and SEL skills most strongly predicting student grades.

The current study raises questions about how purpose may fit into the theoretical relationship between character and SEL. Future research should examine interaction effects between character and SEL, and also test additional measures of purpose, as prior research has demonstrated the usefulness of including multiple modes of assessment when measuring purpose (Bronk, Leontopoulou, & McCronchie, 2018; Linver et al., 2018).

Authors

• Marisa MacDonnell, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author

• Maurice J. Elias, Rutgers University
  Non-Presenting Author

• May Yuan, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Non-Presenting Author

• Polina Poliakova, Rutgers University
  Non-Presenting Author