New SEL Meta-Analysis Finds That SEL Improves “Prosocial Behavior” AND That Less Is More

[Larry Ferlazzo]

Social and Emotional Learning Programs and Students’ Prosocial Behavior: A Meta-Analysis is a big new study that recently was published, and it’s not behind a paywall.

It found that SEL can work, and it also found that SEL programs that took less time tended to be more successful than longer ones.

But, for a very thoughtful and thorough analysis of the study you should read one appearing in From Experience To Meaning. Here’s an excerpt:

Many SEL programs remain strongly curriculum-oriented: separate lessons, separate modules, separate exercises. While at the same time one can argue that prosocial behaviour originates primarily in daily culture, routines, and relationships, in how teachers respond to conflicts, how class discussions unfold, how collaboration is organised, and how adults themselves deal with respect, empathy, and boundaries. Perhaps that is also why some relatively limited interventions still show effects: because they succeed in changing something in daily interactions rather than merely adding extra lesson content.

I’m adding this info to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources, and you can find all my SEL resources here.