The Effect of Social-Emotional Learning Programs on Elementary and Middle School Students' Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Review

This meta-analysis summarized the effects of universal and targeted social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in 22 studies with 24,510 elementary and middle schoolers between 2011 and 2021. It is critical to note that the evidence base was dominated by elementary school research (20 studies), with findings for middle school students derived from only two studies. The current study focused on three main issues: (a) the effectiveness of SEL programs on students' overall academic performance as well as in specific subjects; (b) possible moderators that could differentiate the overall effectiveness of SEL programs; and (c) possible moderators that presented different effects in different grade levels and subject areas. The results of this review indicated that SEL interventions had a positive effect on overall academic achievement (g = 0.08), elementary school students (g = 0.075), middle school students (g = 0.122), English language arts (g = 0.07), mathematics (g = 0.08), science (g = 0.06), and GPA (g = 0.33) compared to alternative interventions or standard practice. Subgroup analysis was performed with several moderators (i.e., student SES, intervention design, grade level, subject area, and report type). A significant difference was found based on intervention design, with quasi-experimental studies showing larger effect sizes than randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The categorical moderation analysis was performed based on the student's grade level and subject area and found significant differences. Overall, SEL programs with quasi-experimental designs might be more beneficial for promoting students' academic performance. Given the limited evidence, conclusions regarding middle school students are preliminary, and more studies on middle school students and students' science performance are needed.