Does Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) improve academic outcomes?

SEL can support social and emotional well-being, but research shows inconsistent outcomes regarding its effect on academic performance.

Photo by iStock (Credit: LittleCityLifestylePhotography)

Highlights:

• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is often integrated as universal/school-wide intervention.

• Meta-analyses indicate that SEL promotes positive attitudes, better relationships, helps students cope with challenges, and helps them make good decisions.

• Some SEL advocates claim that SEL promotes academic achievement; however, the evidence for such claims is currently uncertain. There is a lack of large-scale studies examining this relationship, and the existing studies show mixed results.

• Further studies of SEL and its relationship to academic gains are needed.

  ---

Introduction

We recently had the honour of being guests on the podcast Chalk and Talk, hosted by Anna Stokke. We had a great conversation with Anna about equity and instructional approaches that have shown to be effective in reducing achievement gaps. One of the topics we discussed was Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). This approach is often thought to foster more equitable educational outcomes, but the evidence for such claims is mixed and warrants careful examination. Given SEL's growing popularity among instructors, we decided to summarize some of the latest research findings on its efficacy.

What is Social and Emotional Learning?

Social and Emotional Learning is instruction aimed at fostering a range of social and emotional competencies. The goal of SEL is to teach students skills related to emotional regulation, empathy, resilience, and effective communication (Durlak et al., 2011). By nurturing these skills, educators aim to enhance students' interpersonal interactions, support their emotional regulation, and prepare them to set and achieve personal goals.

SEL has been around, in various forms, since the 1990’s, but recent years have seen significant growth in the integration of SEL into school curricula and educational policies. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relevance of SEL has become even more pronounced. Many school teachers and school administrators have expressed concerns about COVID-19’s impact on the emotional well-being of their students. They worry that prolonged periods of social isolation, disruptions to routine, and the uncertainties of the pandemic have had a negative impact on students' mental health. Academic research largely corroborates these reports. Systematic reviews (Elharake et al., 2023; Loades et al., 2020) indicate an increase in anxiety, depression, and fatigue among students at all levels, reflecting widespread concern for their well-being.

To combat some of the social and emotional problems suffered by today’s students, many educators have been looking for ways to integrate SEL into their curricula. Ultimately, they hope that SEL will mitigate some of the psychological impacts of the pandemic and equip students with the skills they need to cope with future personal and academic challenges.

What does the research literature say about Social and Emotional Learning?

The research on Social and Emotional Learning is tricky to interpret, for several reasons.

1. One of the biggest problems with Social and Emotional Learning is the diversity of program formats and content. SEL programs vary widely in their structure, focus, and the specific competencies they aim to develop. In fact, there exists a lack of consensus among researchers regarding the key competencies that SEL is intended to nurture (Cipriano, 2023). This makes it difficult to assess SEL’s impact, since it’s not implemented in any systematic fashion. Different schools deliver SEL in different ways, and with different goals and objectives.

2. A second problem with SEL research is that that many SEL skills are difficult to measure. Assessing a student’s social or emotional competencies can be challenging due to their abstract nature. Numerous efforts have been made to develop appropriate measures. However, not all of these measures have been shown to be valid and reliable. Moreover, many SEL assessments are based on student and/or teacher self-reports, which are susceptible to bias. These complexities in measurement pose a significant hurdle in accurately evaluating the effectiveness of SEL programs.

In spite of these uncertainties, the evidence in favour of SEL is generally quite strong. A substantial body of research reflects a broad consensus that SEL can enhance students’ social-emotional skills, attitudes, and prosocial behaviours, while reducing conduct problems (Durlak et al., 2022; Taylor et al., 2017). Unfortunately, the widespread variability in the way SEL is conceptualized and delivered makes it difficult to know which aspects of a SEL implementation are the most beneficial, which are less so, and the reasons behind these differences (Durlak et al., 2022).

In summary, the research literature on SEL is promising, but it also reveals significant inconsistencies and methodological limitations. The variability in how SEL is implemented further complicates our understanding of which components are most effective.

Does Social and Emotional Learning promote academic achievement?

The goal of SEL is to develop competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. While academic achievement is not a central aim of SEL, it is often promoted as a secondary benefit. Proponents of SEL believe that if learners can develop the aforementioned competencies, their academic performance should improve as a side-effect. Of course, it is also possible that SEL could impair students’ academic performance if SEL consumes significant amounts of class time that would otherwise be used for academic instruction. 

Measures of SEL's impact on academic achievement have yielded mixed results. Some results have been quite promising. Durlak et al. (2011) reported academic outcomes had an effect size of 0.27, indicating an 11-percentile gain for an average student—suggesting a moderate positive impact. Unfortunately, the results from more recent studies have been less clear.  A 2018 meta-analysis by Corcoran et al. reviewed 40 studies, identifying 19 as high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with larger sample sizes. Their analysis showed a wide range of effect sizes for both reading (-0.14 to 0.73) and math (–0.22 to 0.81). Due to this variation, Corcoran et al. suggested that SEL interventions might not have as significant an academic impact as previously believed. Corcoran et al. concluded that, “some of the SEL approaches most widely used in schools, tested via large randomized experiments do not present strong evidence of effectiveness.” (p. 69).

Other analyses also raise doubts about the impact of SEL on academic achievement. Goldberg et al (2019) conducted a meta analysis of SEL involving 45 studies and approximately half a million participants. They failed to find any significant academic gains, concluding, “Whole school interventions were not shown to impact on academic achievement.” (p. 774). In another study by Hart et al. (2024), 40 first-grade classrooms participated in an effectiveness trial, with 13 schools randomly assigned to either an SEL group or a control group. This study also found no statistically significant effects on student academic performance.

Overall, the evidence for SEL having a positive impact on academic achievement remains uncertain. Undoubtedly, some of this uncertainty is tied to variability in the way SEL is implemented. There is a need for more high-quality, randomized controlled trials coupled with consistent implementations. On the positive side, there is currently no evidence that SEL has a negative impact on student academic performance (Hart et al., 2020).  

Conclusion

The research on SEL shows promise, particularly in enhancing students' social and emotional well-being. However, the evidence is still evolving, and should be interpreted with caution. While a substantial number of studies suggest that SEL can improve social behaviours and emotional well-being (at least in the short term), there are good reasons to worry that the excitement around SEL may be outpacing its empirical support. A significant concern is the variability in research findings, with different studies reporting a wide range of effect sizes. This inconsistency raises questions about the reliability and generalizability of SEL outcomes. Additionally, there is a lack of consensus on the specific skills SEL should cultivate and the best practices for implementation. This ambiguity can hinder the effective design and assessment of SEL programs. Lastly, there has been relatively little research on SEL’s long-term effects or its impact on learners from different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds.

Although SEL is frequently praised as a 'lever for equity and excellence' (Schlund et al., 2020), there is little evidence for this claim. In education, the term 'equity' refers to recognizing and addressing the diverse needs of students and providing varying levels of support to facilitate comparable outcomes. SEL’s impact on equity is unclear. There is currently little research on SEL’s efficacy in supporting students who face language barriers, disabilities, or socioeconomic challenges. At present, the claim that “SEL promotes equity” appears to be more aspirational than evidence-based. There may be valid reasons to incorporate SEL in classrooms, but as of yet, there isn’t any compelling evidence that SEL reduces the academic achievement gap or produces more equitable learning outcomes.¹

References

Corcoran, R., Cheung, A., Kim, E. & Xie, C. (2018). Effective universal school-based social and emotional learning programs for improving academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Educational Research Review, 25, 56-72.

Durlak, J. A., Mahoney, J. L., & Boyle, A. E. (2022). What we know, and what we need to find out about universal, school-based social and emotional learning programs for children and adolescents: A review of meta-analyses and directions for future research. Psychological Bulletin, 148(11-12), 765–782.

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.

Elharake, J., Akbar, F., Malik, A., Gilliam, W. & Omer, S. (2023). Mental Health Impact of COVID‐19 among Children and College Students: A Systematic Review. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 54, 913-925.

Goldberg, J., Sklad, M., Elfrink, T., Schreurs, K., Bohlmeijer, E. & Clarke, A. (2019). Effectiveness of interventions adopting a whole school approach to enhancing social and emotional development: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 34, 755–782

Hart, S. C., DiPerna, J. C., Lei, P.-W., & Cheng, W. (2020). Nothing Lost, Something Gained? Impact of a Universal Social-Emotional Learning Program on Future State Test Performance. Educational Researcher, 49(1), 5-19.

Hart, S. C., DiPerna, J. C., Lei, P.-W., Zhao, H., Sun, T., Li, X., & Husmann, K. (2024). Does Universal SEL Promote Academic Success? Examining Learner Outcomes Under Routine Conditions in First-Grade Classrooms. AERA Open, 10(1), 1-17.

Loades, M. E., Chatburn, E., Higson-Sweeney, N., Reynolds, S., Shafran, R., Brigden, A. et al. (2020). Rapid systematic review: The impact of social isolation and loneliness on the mental health of children and adolescents in the context of COVID-19. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(11), 1218-1239.

Taylor, R., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. & Weissberg, R. (2017). Promoting Positive Youth Development Through School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Interventions: A Meta-Analysis of Follow-Up Effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171.

1. To hear more about instructional approaches that DO have evidence for promoting more equitable outcomes, please check out our podcast with Anna!