Reliability and Construct Validity of a Self-Report Measure of SEL Capacities Among K-12 Educational Leaders

Social and emotional learning (SEL) practices in schools endeavor to support wellbeing and emotional intelligence in young people; they work best when implemented well. Educational leaders in K-12 settings need to have capacities to provide SEL implementation support. Surveying SEL implementation capacity can identify specific strengths and areas for improvement and monitor progress. The current study assesses the validity and reliability of a 15-item self-report scale of capacities to support SEL implementation. A sample of 507 county-, district-, and school-level K-12 educational SEL leaders completed the scale in Fall 2023. Confirmatory factor analysis was used. The SEL capacities scale contains four unique dimensions with high internal reliability: mindsets (5 items), knowledge (3 items), skills (6 items), and efficacy (1 item). The SEL capacities scale also showed consistency (e.g., factor structure invariance) across school seasons, different educational settings, roles in the education system, years of experience among leaders, and recent levels of SEL supports received. Data generated by the SEL capacities scale can be used to inform practice decisions, make comparisons across people and over time, and unearth specific mechanisms of change related to developing adult SEL capacities to provide SEL implementation support.