Effectiveness of a social-emotional learning basic course in fostering social-emotional skills in young children: An intervention study

Key findings from this study

• The study found that children receiving the SEL Basic Course demonstrated significantly higher assertiveness, self-control, and cooperation compared with control group peers.
• The researchers report that intervention group participants exhibited fewer behavioral problems after program completion than at baseline and relative to control children.
• The study demonstrates that classroom-based social-emotional learning produces measurable improvements in early childhood, supporting universal preventive approaches.

Overview

This intervention study evaluated the effectiveness of a classroom-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Basic Course implemented in Japanese kindergarten. The program targeted 4- and 5-year-old children through 15 weekly one-hour lessons. Teachers and parents assessed changes in social-emotional skills and behavioral outcomes between intervention and control groups.

Methods and approach

Two hundred children participated: 129 assigned to the intervention group and 71 to the control group. Teachers administered the Social Skills Scale to assess children's competencies. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to evaluate behavioral outcomes. Chi-square tests compared baseline characteristics between groups. Independent samples t-tests evaluated post-intervention differences and within-group changes from baseline to post-intervention.

Results

Children in the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher assertiveness, self-control, and cooperation scores compared with control peers following program completion. The intervention group exhibited substantially lower behavioral problem scores after program implementation relative to baseline measurements and control group performance. These improvements emerged across both teacher-rated social skills and parent-rated behavioral indicators, suggesting consistent effects across measurement contexts.

Implications

Classroom-based SEL implementation shows measurable efficacy in early childhood populations. The findings support universal, prevention-focused SEL approaches rather than interventions targeted exclusively to at-risk subgroups. Kindergarten represents a developmentally sensitive period for establishing foundational social-emotional competencies through systematic classroom instruction.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.