Although no official evaluations of impact exist on the national level, several independent studies have managed to assess the strength of social-emotional interventions in China. All studies point to the significant benefits of SEL in reducing psychological stress, fostering a culture of understanding, and equipping students with essential regulatory skills. Here is an overview of the studies:
by Jiameng Li and Therese Hesketh
This recent study examines the effectiveness of an SEL intervention in reducing psychosocial difficulties among a sample of over 500 students from 2nd-6th grades in rural China. The intervention consisted of 16 weekly sessions made up of two 45-minute lessons. It is based on the Ministry of Education-UN SEL resources. The lessons focus on five core competencies: self-awareness, emotion management, empathy, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The formats include story telling, role-play, group discussion, art activities, educational games, and handicrafts.
A Chinese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was employed to assess post-intervention differences. The key findings from the survey data and the following statistical analysis were (copied from the article):
(1) the programme can reduce children's total difficulties, and the reduction was sustainable at the two post-intervention assessments. However, the effect size is small, and there was no intervention effect for prosocial behaviours or emotional symptoms.
(2) the intervention was more effective in reducing total difficulties at the immediate post-intervention assessment among children abused verbally or physically by caregivers.
(3) the intervention was more effective in reducing total difficulties at the 5-month follow-up in children who reported to have good communication with their mothers
(4) more than 90% of the participants were satisfied with the programme.
by Huan Chen and Yanni Yu
This 2022 meta-analysis looks at the impact of 37 randomized SEL programs covering 8,736 students in China. All programs report desirable outcomes for participating students, who, compared to the control group, showed significant improvement in social-emotional competencies including skills, attitudes, emotional distress reduction, and positive social behavior. When compared to SEL programs in low-context countries like the UK, China's SEL programs achieved greater improvement in social-emotional competencies. The study also finds that positive outcomes of China's SEL programs are moderated by the location of the school, SEL framework, intervention object, and educational level of participants whereas the negative outcomes are moderated by types of textbooks, participant features, SEL framework, and educational level of participants.
At the end of the analysis, the authors argue that educational policies in favor of more SEL programs should be in place in light of the strong empirical evidence attesting to their effectiveness.
by Jieping Shi and Alan C. K. Cheung
The 2022 study aimed to provide information for the development of a Chinese SEL program for elementary school students. The studied intervention encompasses 12 scripted weekly lessons with a variety of built-in instructional methods such as videos, painting, writing, discussions, and role play. Statistical analysis of survey data from four treatment classrooms and four control classrooms reveals that students in the treatment group scored significantly higher on self-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. The benefits of the intervention exerted a greater positive impact on students with lower baseline self-awareness.
by Lei An, Esha Vaid, Maurice J. Elias, Qianfeng Li, Minghui Wang, and Guoxiang Zhao
The 2021 study examines the impact of a short-term SEL curriculum designed and implemented by the authors at an elementary school. The sample consisted of 111 fifth graders in the intervention group and 53 third graders in the control group. The preliminary assessment of the intervention shows that the intervention groups enjoyed a significant increase in emotional intelligence scores after the intervention concluded whereas the control group experienced an increase in competitiveness. Students in the intervention group embraced the SEL intervention because, to them, the intervention combined both rewarding learning moments and fun activities.
While this page only presents four studies pertaining to the impact of current SEL interventions in China, they are an adequate representation of the body of existing literature on this topic. Again, we struggled with finding a sufficient amount of literature that looks into China's SEL interventions due to the inchoate nature of the programs. However, what we have been able to procure all points to the positive impacts of SEL, especially among students with preexisting psychological conditions.
Therefore, the strengths of SEL warrant continued attention to its potential implementation on a greater scale. In the next section, we will present a series of recommendations for educational policy and practices.