Tag: Social-emotional learning

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Programme Evaluation Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Which format was more effective at alleviating anxiety: face-to-face or web-based intervention?

Shao and colleagues evaluated the impact of the DNA-V program, culturally adapted for Chinese adolescents, on reducing their anxiety. The DNA-V (Discover, Notice, Advise-Value) program combines mindfulness-based social-emotional learning (SEL) and cognitive behavioral strategies to enhance psychological flexibility and lower anxiety. Cognitive defusion is considered highly related to psychological flexibility, so that the study particularly examined cognitive fusion—where individuals are entangled in their thoughts, potentially increasing psychological distress—as a mediating factor in anxiety reduction.

The researchers randomly divided six eighth-grade classes from a Beijing urban middle school into three groups, each receiving different interventions: a face-to-face DNA-V group (40 students), a web-based DNA-V group (56 students), and an active control group undergoing a positive psychology program (50 students). Over six weeks, the treatment groups attended a 40-minute session weekly, with the face-to-face group in a classroom and the web-based group via an online game format.

Students completed the Chinese Secondary School Students Anxiety scale and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire before the program (T1), immediately after (T2), and two months post-intervention (T3). Results from a repeated measures ANOVA indicated that only the face-to-face group showed a significant reduction in anxiety and cognitive fusion scores from T1 to T3 and from T2 to T3. No significant changes were observed in the web-based or control groups over time.

Further analysis used a mediation model to explore the underlying mechanism of the DNV-A intervention. Findings revealed that the face-to-face DNA-V intervention directly reduced anxiety (difference between T3 and T1) without the mediating role of decreased cognitive fusion (difference between T2 and T1). The web-based intervention showed neither direct nor indirect effects on anxiety.

These findings suggest that the culturally adapted face-to-face DNA-V program could be an effective school-based intervention for reducing anxiety among adolescents, although cognitive fusion did not mediate this effect.

 

Source: Shao, S., Zhang, Y., Yang, M., Li, C., Zhao, R., Liu, Z., Wu, M., Liu, Y., Zhu, Z., & Cui, L. (2024). The effectiveness of the DNA-V program on reducing anxiety among Chinese adolescents: Outcomes of the face-to-face and web-based versions. Journal of School Psychology, 106, 101357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101357… Read the rest

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Primary School Education Programme Evaluation Social and Motivational Outcomes

Impact of Positive Growth program on rural children in China

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… Read the rest