Abstract
Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs aim to enhance emotional intelligence by teaching problem solving, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship building skills. SEL interventions have been shown to improve quality of life and wellbeing, increasingly important outcomes in the wake of the staggering effects of the COVID-19 crisis on mental health. HappiGenius is a novel SEL program with the addition of mindful attention and self-compassion. We hypothesized HappiGenius would improve positive emotions, self-compassion, attention, mindful self-awareness, and social skills in a group of students. This observational cohort study took place at a diverse elementary school in a midsize midwestern city and included 48 students across four 3rd grade classrooms. HappiGenius included 12 lessons, approximately 45 minutes each, delivered twice a week for 6 weeks. The results demonstrated increased frequency of positive emotions (Positive Affect Scale for Children, median increase from 3.57 to 4.04, p=0.04) and improved self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale for Children, 3.04 to 3.25, p=0.0094). Changes in student reported mindful self-awareness (Mindful Attentive Awareness Scale for Children, 3.27 to 3.47, p=0.56) and teacher ratings of hyperactivity/ inattention (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, 3.0 to 2.5, p=0.26) were not statistically significant. Strong positive changes were observed in other teacher-reported behavioral outcomes on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, including total difficulties (6.0 to 3.5, p=0.0004) and prosocial skills (9.0 to 10.0, p
Recommended Citation
Knier, K., Sood, G., Ruffin, W., Arroyo, J., Sabharwal, A., Bostwick, M., & Pierret, C. (2023). Implementation of a Novel Social-Emotional Learning Program to Advance Integration of Wellness in Education Practice. The Journal of Advancing Education Practice, 4(1). https://openriver.winona.edu/jaep/vol4/iss1/5
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