Social-Emotional Learning Program to Promote Prosocial and Academic Skills Among Middle School Students With Disabilities

• Published in: Remedial and special education Vol. 37; no. 6; pp. 323 - 332
• Main Authors: Espelage, Dorothy L., Rose, Chad A., Polanin, Joshua R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.11.2016; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities
• Subjects: Academic Ability; Belonging; Bullying; Caregiving; Caring; Comparative Analysis; Curriculum; Disabilities; Disability; Empathy; Grades (Scholastic); Hypothesis Testing; Intervention; Learning; Learning disabled students; Longitudinal Studies; Markov Processes; Middle School Students; Monte Carlo Methods; Peer Relationship; Prevention programs; Program Effectiveness; Prosocial Behavior; Protective factors; Randomized Controlled Trials; School records; Scores; Self report; Social Emotional Learning; Special education; Standardized Tests; Statistical Analysis; Student Behavior; Student Records; Student School Relationship; Student Surveys; Students with disabilities; Test scores; United States > US; Illinois; Kansas; middle school(s); life skills; evidence-based practice; curriculum; bully
• ISSN: 0741-9325; 1538-4756
• DOI: 10.1177/0741932515627475

This 3-year study evaluated the effectiveness of the Second Step–Student Success Through Prevention (SS-SSTP) social-emotional learning program on increasing prosocial behaviors that could serve as protective factors against peer conflict and bullying among students with disabilities. Participants included 123 students with disabilities across 12 schools in Midwest United States. Students labelled with a disability were selected for inclusion. Students completed self-report measures of school belonging, empathy, caring, and willingness to intervene in bullying situations. Report card grades and standardized test scores were collected from school records. Students with disabilities in the intervention schools reported a statistical and clinical significant increase in willingness to intervene in bullying incidents in comparison with students with disabilities in control schools and an increase of half a grade on their report cards in comparison with the control sample. The current study demonstrates the promise of social-emotional learning programming for students with disabilities.