Compared to their urban counterparts, children in rural China face greater risks of anxiety, depression, and other psychosocial issues. Left behind children in rural areas when parents have migrated for work are especially vulnerable. Cultivating social emotional competence (SEC) has been demonstrated as a promotive and protective factor against such difficulties. Fu and colleagues conducted a quasi-experimental study investigating the impact of a school-based social emotional learning program on 5th graders (mean age = 11 years) in Chongqing. The Positive Growth curriculum developed based on the CASEL framework by Rici foundation, focused on four components of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills.
The study involved two rural schools (n=648) receiving eight-session intervention from March 2022 to June 2022, delivered by trained school teachers using manuals, textbook, materials for activities, and videos of the adapted curriculum. Two matched schools that served as control group (n=599) followed the regular curriculum including didactic moral lessons. Students self-reported SEC using the Chinese version of Washoe County School District Social and Emotional Competency Assessments (WCSD-SECAs) before and after the intervention. The difference in SEC scores between post- and pre-intervention was used to assess the impact of the program. The results are listed below.
- The treatment group outperformed the control group in overall SEC (ES=+0.21), self-awareness (ES=+0.34), social awareness (ES=+0.25), and relationship skills (ES = +0.19). No significant differences emerged for self-management or responsible decision making.
- The program benefited boys’ overall SEC but not girls’.
- Children of work-away parents showed significant gains in overall SEC, but children with non-migrating parents did not.
This preliminary study demonstrates that adapting an evidence-based Western SEC framework may yield positive outcomes for rural Chinese students, especially those left behind by migrant parents. As the authors acknowledge, the brief intervention period may not capture skills cultivated over the long term. Future studies are required to examine long-term outcomes from lengthier intervention.
Source: Fu, L., Zhang, Z., Yang, Y., & Curtis McMillen, J. (2024). Acceptability and preliminary impact of a school-based SEL program for rural children in China: A quasi-experimental study. Children and Youth Services Review, 160, 107579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107579