Mealtimes have rarely been considered outside a healthy eating agenda yet may be important social contexts for children's social, emotional and moral development. Little research has examined the social value of time spent in the school lunch room. This study examined the nature of children's interactions, activities and experiences of mealtimes…

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate how perceived social-emotional competencies (SECs), relationship skills, emotional regulation, and the ability to structure schoolwork at school and at home were associated with academic efficacy belief (AEB) and emotional distress among 1142 Norwegian eighth-grade students. The students answered an…

Background: Optimistic thinking is a facet of social-emotional learning linked to better mental health and problem-solving in children; however, few educational tools exist to improve this important aspect of self-awareness. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of an optimistic thinking tool with diverse students in an elementary school…

Background: Fathers can have a critical role to play in supporting the well-being of youth. However, little is known about how fathers perceive youth well-being. The Five Cs model of positive youth development was the theoretical starting point of this study, in part due to this framework's focus on the importance of bi-directional, person-context…

The purpose of this research is to determine the mediating role of self-efficacy and hope on the relationship of individuals' scores on the Primary Mental Abilities (PMAs) Test 7-11 with social emotional learning. In addition, the relationship of PMAs scores with hope and self-efficacy have also been examined. The study has been carried out over…

There is growing national and international concern about the mental health of children and young people, and in countries such as England there is now a political and policy commitment to developing whole-school approaches to mental health. This paper presents new evidence on how pupils' mental health is being addressed in schools using learning…

The goals of the present study were (a) to explore different aspects of children's participation in structured performing arts activities (e.g., dance and music); and (b) to examine links between participation in performing arts and indices of socioemotional functioning. Participants were N = 166 children (75 boys and 91 girls) in Grade 1 (n = 70,…

Charts that keep (public) track of whether a student's behavior is in some equivalent of a red (problem), yellow, or green ("well-behaved") zone are ubiquitous in elementary schools. This strategy based on shaming students is due to be retired because (1) it promotes only compliance, not social-emotional learning; (2) charts don't teach…

Storytelling has a fundamental place in teaching practice, most noticeably in the sharing and developing of curricular content. But teachers share more than academic content with children. A critical prerequisite for meaningful, engaged learning is a strong sense of community and social wellness in the classroom. Based on an inquiry into…

This study investigated the relationships between social and emotional learning factors and course failure for 9,308 7th-9th graders. Student self-report measures of social and emotional learning (SEL) and biographical factors (ACT® Engage® Grades 6-9) were analyzed through multiple regression models with propensity score weighting techniques. The…

Previous research suggests that the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) reflect both a general diagnostic construct and two distinct symptom dimensions, irritability and defiant behavior. Recent studies have found that these two symptom dimensions exhibit different patterns of correlates and outcomes (e.g., irritability linked to…

Social skills training programs are often used as a behavioural intervention with elementary school-aged children; however, many students with high-functioning autism do not receive diagnoses until they reach adulthood. There is therefore a strong need for social skills training programs that can be provided as part of students' accommodations in…

The transition to formal education is a critical transition in children's lives that has importance for socio-emotional and behavioral functioning. In the transition process, teachers are key players who work intensively with children and their families. This article focuses on teachers' perceptions of children´s socio-emotional behavior during…

Background: Reading difficulties (RDs) and behaviour problems (BPs) are two common childhood problems that have a high degree of stability and often negatively affect well-being in both the short and longer terms. Aims: The study aimed to shed light on the unique and joint consequences of these two childhood problems for educational and…

Social-emotional learning curricula to prevent student problematic behaviors should play a prominent role in public school instruction. While social-emotional curricula have been shown to be effective, there are few replication studies that substantiate their capacity to improve outcomes for students who exhibit problem behaviors. Thus, we…