Over the past few decades, urbanization and economic growth have widened the rural-urban gap not only in living standards but also in education quality. Children in impoverished areas are particularly vulnerable to psychosocial problems. While there is an increasing body of evidence regarding social emotional learning (SEL) interventions, such interventions are rarely found among children in rural China. Li and Hesketh conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of a school-based SEL programme among primary school children in a poor rural area in central China. Two schools participated in the study, one intervention school and one control school, with a final sample size of 496 (intervention = 206), ranging from grade 2 to grade 6 students.
A Self-reported Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire and background information were collected 1 week before the intervention (T1) and 1 week (T2) and 5 months (T3) after the intervention. The SEL programme, mostly adapted from the Ministry of Education-UNICEF SEL resources, aimed to enhance five competencies: self-awareness, emotion management, empathy, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Students in the invention group attended 16 weekly 90 min sessions throughout a semester from September 2021 to January 2022. The programme employed various methods, including group discussion, role-play, art activities, story-telling, watching videos, handicrafts and educational games, tailored to different age groups.
After controlling for students’ background information and baseline scores, results of the linear mixed modelling are shown below:
- Students in the intervention group showed greater improvement in SDQ difficult combined scores at T2 (ES = -0.19) and in the follow-up test at T3 (ES=-0.19).
- Specifically, the intervention group showed greater reduction in difficult behavior at T2 (ES = -0.18) and T3 (ES = -0.19), in peer problems at T2 (ES = -0.19), and in hyperactivity at T3 (ES = -019).
- Emotion symptoms, conduct problems, and prosocial behaviors showed no significant improvement.
- The intervention had greater short-term effect on reducing SDQ difficulties in verbally abused children compared to non or occasionally abused ones (ES=-0.21), with a similar pattern in physically abused children (ES=-0.24).
- A sustained effect was observed among children with good communication with their mother (ES=-0.23).
The authors suggested that further empirical research is necessary within the Chinese setting and provided some recommendations on how SEL programmes should be conducted in schools.
Source (Open Access): Li, J., & Hesketh, T. (n.d.). A social emotional learning intervention to reduce psychosocial difficulties among rural children in central China. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12481