Journal of Elementary Education, Vol 32, No 2 (2022)

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A community-led intervention to support elementary social-emotional skill development: An exploratory study

Kyndall Penyweit, Darson Rhodes, Carol Cox

Abstract


School-based social-emotional learning programs have shown promising results for student academic and social achievement; however, it is recommended that more studies be implemented in the afterschool setting. Afterschool programs are out-of-school time strategies that allow students opportunities to reinforce academic and other skills learned during the school day. An afterschool program of a rural, Midwest US school district had no formal, elementary-level, social-emotional learning curriculum. A community-based, youth-serving organization, therefore, implemented a traditional school-based social-emotional learning intervention with full curricular units into the district’s afterschool program. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine elementary student participant social-emotional knowledge and observed social-emotional behaviors before and after the community-led intervention in this school district’s afterschool program. Once each week for six weeks, student participants were instructed in 45 minute-long interactive social-emotional learning lessons that used streaming video to teach pro-social knowledge and skills. Student participants’ social-emotional knowledge (measured by Knowledge Assessment accompanying the program) as well as frequency of observed sharing and befriending pro-social behaviors (measured by Child Social Behavior Questionnaire/Teacher-Rating Version) significantly increased pre-post program. However, frequency of observed physical and psychological abuse (negative social behaviors) as well bullying victimization were not significantly decreased. If results of this exploratory study are confirmed in future, larger studies, social-emotional learning programs can be effective additions to afterschool programs to enhance school-based outcomes.


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