Tuning in to Kids in Schools: a protocol for evaluating an emotion socialization intervention for teachers in Norwegian elementary schools

Emotional competence allows children to deal with emotional challenges and is a key predictor for mental health and academic outcomes in children. Therefore, improving emotional competence in children is an important endeavor. This protocol outlines how the universal intervention Tuning in to Kids in Schools (TIKiS) will be implemented, and the ways the effectiveness and implementation measures of TIKiS will be evaluated. TIKiS consists of six 1.5 h group sessions aiming to improve the emotional competence and emotion socialization practices of teachers. Using randomized controlled trials, 20 schools in Oslo, Norway participated in a study using TIKiS as either an intervention or waitlist control school. The current study is a collaboration between the University of Oslo, and the municipal agencies that work closely with the schools, to create a sustainable continuation of TIKiS after the study is over. By targeting teachers rather than parents, the competence from TIKiS can remain in the schools and reach more children than a parenting intervention. Clinical trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov , identifier #NCT06501300.