Disseminate preschool social-emotional learning programs targeting emotion knowledge and strengthen teacher-student relationship components¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 associational), q3 · 2 of 2 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Based on the finding that emotion knowledge gains mediate the link between preschool relationships and kindergarten achievement, the authors recommend wider dissemination of early social-emotional learning programs that enhance emotion knowledge, noting several have shown efficacy in small randomized trials and one national study suggests scale-up with similar impacts. They further recommend "enhancements to existing interventions that directly promote supportive teacher-student relationships", since existing programs such as Preschool PATHS do not explicitly target low-closeness teacher-student relationships.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Programs should include components designed to enhance children's emotion knowledge; enhancements should directly promote supportive teacher-student relationships

Constraints¶

• The article notes existing interventions do not explicitly target teacher-student relationships characterized by low levels of closeness

Target Learners¶

• preschool children from low-income families, particularly those in Head Start

Target Learning Goals¶

• emotion knowledge
• academic school readiness
• supportive student-teacher and peer relationships

Claims¶

• Gains in emotion knowledge during preschool mediate the association between preschool relationships and kindergarten achievement [+W]
• Preschool emotion knowledge predicts kindergarten academic achievement one year later [+W]
• Positive preschool interpersonal relationships predict gains in emotion knowledge over the prekindergarten year [+W]
• Positive preschool interpersonal relationships predict kindergarten academic achievement controlling for initial achievement [+W]
• A replication trial with 267 preschoolers found greater gains in social skills and stronger teacher-child and parent-teacher relationships than controls [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Torres, M. M., Domitrovich, C. E., & Bierman, K. L. (2015). Preschool Interpersonal Relationships Predict Kindergarten Achievement: Mediated by Gains in Emotion Knowledge. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.04.008