The present study investigated child depression symptoms, social skills, and mother-child conflict from mid-childhood to mid-adolescence. Bidirectional effects involving all three constructs were anticipated, as were differential effects for child gender. Participants included 893 families from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development…

Students are increasingly experiencing social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Although it is necessary to pinpoint students' academic, social-emotional, and behavioral deficits, it is essential to focus on assessing the student's strengths as a central component in intervention planning to improve student outcomes. A scoping…

The extent to which an intervention is perceived as socially valid significantly influences whether the intervention is selected, implemented, and maintained (Kern & Manz, 2004). Social skill interventions and evidence-based practices are often ranked with low social validity by adolescents (McCoy et al., 2016). Interventions delivered through…

This study aimed to explore the design and development of verbal prompts in virtual reality (VR)-based social skills training for autistic children. Autism indicates a category with neurodiversity that influences individuals' capability to engage in social and cognitive tasks. This complex neurodevelopmental condition manifests in a wide array of…

The purpose of the current study was to investigate differences in social-emotional skills between active and passive bystanders. Data were collected on a sample of 352 middle school students using self-report of bullying role involvement and social skills and teacher reports of social/emotional competence and executive functioning skills. Using…

General and special education teachers report feeling inadequate in providing social skill instruction to students. Yet, researchers and government bodies (ASELA, 2015) report students receiving social skill instruction display marked improvements in: (a) motivation to learn, (b) commitment to school, (c) time devoted to schoolwork, (d) mastery of…

This study explores the relationship between perceived parental conflict, self-compassion, shame, and social anxiety and its internal mechanisms through two studies. Study 1 took 612 middle school students (285 women, 327 men, M = 14.18 years, SD = 1.72) as participants, and the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale,…

In 2020, the world was forced to adjust to a new normal with the global pandemic. Every nation had to make difficult decisions to protect citizens and save their economy. Leaders of all institutions had to strategize quickly for an unknown future. Many institutions suffered, including education. Social-emotional learning addresses students'…

Bullying in school has become a public health problem. Among the various bullying's risk factors, the vulnerabilities associated with socio-emotional skills stand out. The present study aims to explore the relationship between bullying, victimization, self-concept, and empathy; to test differences in victimization and bullying between boys and…

This paper highlights a (2022) study conducted in a Canadian school division with middle school teachers. The purpose of this study was to learn what middle school teachers did to positively connect with their students. Due to COVID-related concerns, four participants were interviewed individually via zoom and asked to share strategies that they…

Background: Students' social emotional competencies (SECs; also known as non-cognitive skills) are the skills or knowledge that allow them to successfully navigate social and academic environments such as self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. Research has established cross-sectional associations between SECs and student…

Making school meaningful is a widely accepted goal in education, yet "what" is considered meaningful, meaningful to "whom," and "why," leaves room for interrogation. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study aims to understand: (1) The extent to which students experience meaningful education at EL Education…

While intellectual curiosity has been widely studied in the field of child development, interpersonal curiosity and its association with social and emotional skills and well-being has rarely been investigated. This mixed-methods study explored the dimensions of interpersonal curiosity, examined how each dimension was associated with social and…

This research investigates students' decision-making and collaborative skills within the science teaching and learning process through integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Although collaborative skills and effective decisionmaking are vital in the 21st century, many students still lack proficiency in these…

Age-appropriate use of social skills throughout a student's K-12 career has been linked to a variety of favorable academic and behavioral outcomes (Capara et al., 2000; Malecki & Elliot, 2022; Wentzel, 1993). Social skill deficits are widely present in the secondary setting (Gresham et al., 2010), and research has highlighted 9th grade as an…