The effect of a structured social-emotional learning program on primary school students’ social-emotional development: a quasi-experimental study

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of a structured Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program on the social-emotional development of primary school students. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental pretest – posttest control group design. A total of 173 second-grade students enrolled in a public primary school in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye, participated in the research. The participants were selected from six classrooms, including three experimental and three control groups. Within the scope of the intervention, an eight-week SEL program based on the CASEL framework was implemented in the experimental groups, while the control groups continued regular classroom activities. The program included activities designed to improve emotional awareness, empathy, communication, problem-solving, peer interaction, and self-regulation skills. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Social-Emotional Development Scale. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used for data analysis. The findings revealed no significant differences between the groups in pretest scores, indicating baseline equivalence. However, statistically significant differences emerged in posttest scores in favor of the experimental groups. ANCOVA results further demonstrated that the intervention effect remained significant after controlling for pretest scores. Analyses of the sub-dimensions indicated that the program had significant effects particularly on social skills and self-regulation, whereas no significant difference was found in the emotional awareness (task identification) dimension. Overall, the findings suggest that structured SEL programs can effectively improve students’ social-emotional competencies even in relatively short-term implementations and provide a scalable model for school-based practices in Türkiye.