Resilience, Character and Social and Emotional Skills – where next for Education Policy? Wifi:...

Resilience, Character and Social and Emotional Skills – where next for Education Policy?

Wifi:

hhonors

Aims of the day

• Review the evidence on social and emotional skills and identify areas of promise, gaps and priorities

• Share work underway to build the evidence further• Explore ways of measuring social and emotional skills• Discuss potential for working together on this agenda

The increasing recognition of social and emotional skills

• Growing interest from government and policy makers in concepts such as grit, resilience and character.

• Schools put time and effort into developing such skills with little support or guidance; impact rarely captured.

• There is increasing evidence that these things matter for later outcomes.

• Gaps remain in understanding how to define, improve and measure social and emotional skills, and how far changes lead to long-term outcomes.

• EEF is keen to help fill these gaps and work with others to build the evidence.

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

• Teaches young children the basics of philosophical thinking. Individual reflection and small group discussions, following by whole-class discussion. Cost is £16 per pupil.

• Aim is to help children become more willing and able to ask questions, construct arguments, reflect, take turns, and engage in reasoned discussion.

• RCT in 54 school, Years 4 & 5, outcomes in KS2 found:• improved attainment and social and emotional skills. Teachers and

pupils report improved behaviour, relationships and confidence.

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)

• Social and emotional learning programme: lessons cover topics such as identifying feelings, controlling impulses, reducing stress, and understanding other people’s perspectives. £12 per pupil.

• Trials in US shown promising effects. But RCT in 45 schools found:– No positive effect on attainment– Teachers felt there was lack of time to implement fully– Difficulty in adapting programme to UK context

• Waiting to see social and emotional outcomes: may take longer than two years to feed through to academic outcomes?

• Social and emotional learning (SEL) important opportunity for early intervention to impact on a number of key outcomes

• Featured in many EI programmes in Allen Reports and part of original EIF mission

EIF interest in SEL

• Work includes: – What Works Review of Parent Child Interactions

Conception to 5– What Works Review: analysis of longitudinal data on

Social and Emotional Learning; school + youth programmes

– What Works Rapid review of Prevention of Gang and Youth Violence programmes.

– Work in local places: local authorities, schools, communities build resilience/social and emotional skills

• Future work: with Joseph Rowntree Foundation on SEL and children/young people in or at risk of poverty

EIF interest in SEL

Promoting the Development of social, emotional

and cognitive skillsIngrid Schoon and Bilal Nasim

UCL, Institute of Education

Early Intervention Foundation22 October 2015

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Fostering social, emotional and cognitive skills

What is the evidence regarding assessment of social and emotional skills and their long-term outcomes?

Which skills to prioritize and why?

What does the evidence suggest regarding

interventions? What are the gaps in the evidence base

that future work needs to address?

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Measuring social, emotional and cognitive skills in early childhood

The notion of social and emotional skills refers to a set of attitudes, behaviours, and strategies that are thought to underpin success in school and at work, such as motivation, perseverance, and self-control.

They are usually contrasted with the ‘hard skills’ of cognitive ability in areas such as literacy and numeracy, which are measured by academic tests.

Social and emotional skills can reliably be measured, even at early age

yet, there is inconsistency in how different skills are conceptualised and there are variations of assessment by age and context

Gutman & Schoon, 2013

Key skills needed to get ahead

• Self-control, self-regulation, perseverance (grit): relates to the ability to resist short-term impulses in order to prioritise a higher pursuit

• Self-perceptions: belief in one’s ability to accomplish a goal (self concepts, self efficacy)

• Motivation: refers to intentions and underlying beliefs about why to accomplish a goal (achievement goals; intrinsic/extrinsic motivation; expectancy-value)

• Social Competencies reflect skills that allow one to get along with others (e.g. approaching and collaborating with others).

• Emotional stability often defined by the absence of psychological problems, neuroticism, anxiety or depression

• Resilience concerns the ability to succeed despite significant challenge, while Coping involves strategies such as problem-solving and optimistic thinking used to manage stressful situations.

• Cognitive skills: verbal and non-verbal capabilities (literacy, numeracy, executive function, creativity). 

• Metacognitive Strategies: knowledge about and control over one’s own cognitive system (planning, monitoring, regulating behaviour, learning strategies).

Gutman & Schoon, 2013

What is the evidence regarding the long reach of early skills?

• Single study evaluations – often using observational cohort studies• focus on selected skills and distinct outcomes• few studies that examine simultaneously multiple skill sets, combination of

skills across outcomes• Mostly association studies, do not establish causality

• Meta analytic reviews • summarize and synthesize findings across multiple studies• yield more reliable and precise estimation of program impact than single

evaluation studies• common metric known as effect size• can examine variation according to methodology of the evaluation,

characteristics of target population, implementation• yet most reviews focus on a specific skill, population, outcome, or

intervention type

• ‘Review of review’ approach to summarize meta-analytic evidence • Maryland Scientific Evidence Scale to assess quality of evidence

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Our own analysis: what we do

• Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, we estimate the association between a number of social and emotional skills measured at age 10, and a wide range of outcomes measured at age 42

• We condition on a broad set of child, parent and family characteristics

• We describe whether each social and emotional skill matters more for certain outcomes than others

• [We explore the extent to which formal educational attainment mediates skill-outcome associations]

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Data: Social and Emotional Skills (Age 10)

1. Self-perceptions/Self-awareness: Self-esteem Academic self-concept Locus of control

2. Self-control/Self-regulation: Good conduct (reverse of Rutter Externalising scale) Conscientiousness

3. Social Skills: Peer relationships

4. Emotional Health: Reverse of Rutter Internalising scale

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Data: Outcomes (Age 42)

1. Psych well-being: Life satisfaction Well-being Malaise

2. Education: Has a degree

3. Socio-economic status: Net family income Net wealth In social housing

4. Labour market: In top job In employment Hourly pay Job satisfaction

5. Family: In a partnership Has children # children (if any)

6. Physical health: Self-rated health Obesity

7. Health behaviours:

Exercise Smoking Drinking

8. Other: Interest in

politics

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Data: Controls

1. Child: Birth-weight (Birth) Gender (Birth) Older siblings (Age 5) Ethnicity (Age 10) Cognitive ability (Age 10) Education (Age 30)

2. Parent: Mother/Father Education

(Birth) Mother Age (Birth) Mother Mental health (Age 5) Mother/Father Employment

(Age 10)

3. Family: Gross income (Age 10) Social housing tenure

(Age 10)

Results: Overview

Well-B

Malaise

Life-sat

Degree

Fam Inc

Soc-H

Wealth

Top job

Emp

Wage

Job Sat

Health

Obese

Exercise

Smoking

Drinking

Partner

Children

No. Child

Pol Int

Locus of Control

Self-concept

Self-esteem

Good Conduct -Conscientiousness -Emotional Health + +Social Skills - + +Cognitive Ability - -

Today’s children? (Preliminary work)

• In the BCS, born in 1970: Children in low-income households exhibit poorer conduct

and emotional health Boys exhibit poorer conduct, but slightly better emotional

health

• In the BCS, born in 1970: Children in low-income households exhibit poorer conduct

and emotional health Boys exhibit poorer conduct, but slightly better emotional

health

• We compare the BCS children with those in the Millennium Cohort Study, 2000:

Today’s children? (Preliminary work)

• In the BCS, born in 1970: Children in low-income households exhibit poorer conduct and

emotional health Boys exhibit poorer conduct, but slightly better emotional health

• We compare the BCS children with those in the Millennium Cohort Study, 2000: Low-income deficits in good conduct and emotional health

appear to have increased

Today’s children? (Preliminary work)

• In the BCS, born in 1970: Children in low-income households exhibit poorer conduct

and emotional health Boys exhibit poorer conduct, but slightly better emotional

health

• We compare the BCS children with those in the Millennium Cohort Study, 2000: Low-income deficits in good conduct and emotional health

appear to have increased Gender differentials in good conduct and emotional health

unchanged

Today’s children? (Preliminary work)

• Ages 3-11 trajectories in Conduct

By family income Strong social

gradient in conduct Apparent by age 3 Remains broadly

constant to age 11

By gender Boys display

greater conduct problems

Apparent by age 3

Today’s children?

• Ages 3-11 trajectories in Emotional Health

By family income Strong social

gradient in emotional health

Apparent by age 3 Remains broadly

constant to age 11

By gender Little difference by

gender

Today’s children?

Conclusions from our analysis

• Childhood social and emotional skills matter for a very wide range of adult outcomes Self-control (conduct, conscientiousness), internal locus

of control and social skills especially

Conclusions from our analysis

• Childhood social and emotional skills matter for a very wide range of adult outcomes Self-control (conduct, conscientiousness), internal locus

of control and social skills especially

• Many outcomes are predicted (simultaneously) by multiple skills and different skills predict different outcomes Social and emotional skills are not homogenous –

dimensionality important

Conclusions from our analysis

• Childhood social and emotional skills matter for a very wide range of adult outcomes Self-control (conduct, conscientiousness), internal locus of

control and social skills especially

• Many outcomes are predicted (simultaneously) by multiple skills and different skills predict different outcomes Social and emotional skills are not homogenous –

dimensionality important

• Social and emotional skills are at least as important as cognitive ability for mental well-being and health outcomes, and some SES/labour market outcomes (e.g. wealth, employment) Less important for other SES/labour market outcomes (e.g. top

job, wages, degree)

Conclusions from our analysis

• Childhood social and emotional skills matter for a very wide range of adult outcomes Self-control (conduct, conscientiousness), internal locus of control and social

skills especially

• Many outcomes are predicted (simultaneously) by multiple skills and different skills predict different outcomes Social and emotional skills are not homogenous – dimensionality important

• Social and emotional skills are at least as important as cognitive ability for mental well-being and health outcomes, and some SES/labour market outcomes (e.g. wealth, employment) Less important for other SES/labour market outcomes (e.g. top job, wages,

degree)

• This suggests there are potentially significant benefits to effective interventions which enhance social and emotional skills, as a complement to cognitive learning

There is no silver bullet

• Social and emotional skills comprise a large number of dimensions and capabilities and disparate approaches are used to define and measure them

• These skills interact, shape and reinforce other domains of individual functioning, such as cognitive development and risk behaviours

• For example: self efficacy, motivation and problem solving skills work together to explain academic learning and success in school

more than one skill is needed to promote successful development

Importance of combined skill set, comprising cognitive as well as social and emotional skills

Gutman & Schoon, 2013; Goodman, Nasim, Joshi, 2015

To what extent are skills malleable?• Evidence on interventions

• Not many prospective longitudinal studies– mostly short term• Focus on follow-up studies of children; less evidence on adolescents• Available data sources do not necessarily cover a full range of skills

measured in childhood nor of life domains in adults

• Causality• Observed associations are not causation – despite controls for factors

which may have given rise to both the skill and the outcomes• Need for randomized controlled trials and long-term follow-ups

• Understanding of processes • How do skills develop and are maintained• Biological basis• what works why, how and when

Gutman & Schoon, 2013

Intervention type

Scope Location Target Age Strength of Evidence of Causal Effect*

Mentoring Selected Community-Based**

School-Age Low (works however best for at-risk kids)

Service Learning

Universal School-Based***

School-Age and University

Low to Medium

Outdoor Adventure

Universal, Selected, Targeted

Outdoors Older children and Adolescents

Low to Medium

SEL Universal School-Based School-Age Low to Medium

Note. * Large effect size on other outcomes (d = .80); Medium = Medium effect size (d = .50); Low = Low effect size or none given (d = .20). **Findings suggest that community-based compared to school-based programmes have larger effects. ***Findings suggest that school-based compared to community-based programmes have larger effects.

What is the evidence?

Gutman & Schoon, 2013, 2015

Characteristics of successful interventions

• Informed by developmental theory, prevention science and previous evidence

• Universal aimed at the general population

• Provide structure and limits that are developmentally appropriate, supportive relationships and sense of belonging

• Targeted interventions need a strategy and knowledge about how to reach the most disadvantaged (gaining trust and cooperation)

• Involve parents, teachers and the wider community

• Continuity of staff

• Providing somewhere to go to, something to do, and someone to talk to (safety, structured activity, reflection)

• Execution and implementation are well planned and designed, well trained staff, clear goals, rules and sanctions

Gutman & Schoon, 2013, 2015

Future research – some suggestions

• Test development using new technologies, such as web based assessments, social media or experience sampling

• More information on process data, i.e. how to build social and emotional skills through interactions with others, what are the characteristics of these exchanges and how can quality characteristics of process implementation be assessed

• More information on contextual influences (cumulative risk, cultural variations in response, etc)

• Attention to potential response bias

• Better understanding of the intergenerational transmission of behaviours

• Better understanding of biological foundations

• Need for more evidence regarding causal processes • Linking skills to outcomes• linking interventions to behaviour change

Thank youBilal NasimIngrid SchoonUCL Institute of Education

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References

• Goodman, A., Joshi, H., Nasim, B., & Tylor, C. (2015). Social and emotional skills in childhood and their long-term effects on adult life. http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/EIF-Strand-1-Report-FINAL1.pdf.

• Gutman, L., & Schoon, I. (2013). The impact of non-cognitive skills on outcomes for young people. A literature review. http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Non-cognitive_skills_literature_review.pdf

• Gutman, L. & Schoon, I. (in press). Preventive interventions for children and adolescence. A review of meta-analytic evidence. European Psychologist

• OECD. (2015). Skills for social progress. The power of social and emotional skills.: OECD Skills publishing. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/skills-for-social-progress_9789264226159-en

EEF’s approach to building the evidence on SES and character

Matt van Poortvlietmatthew.vanpoortvliet@eefoundation.org.uk

www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

EEF approach to building the evidence on SES

• Current state of evidence:– strong correlational evidence of links between SES and long-

term outcomes– some evidence that skills / character can be changed through

intervention (change usually self-reported)– the gap: limited causal evidence of how changes in SES

lead to other outcomes, especially long-term• EEF focus:

– improve outcomes for disadvantaged children & narrow the gap– understand how far SES are malleable, and how changes lead

to improved outcomes at school and beyond– evaluate promising approaches to inform schools’ decision-

making

Some ideas we’re trialling…

• What is the impact of teaching philosophy in primary schools?

• Does encouraging children to adopt a ‘growth mindset’ improve resilience and attainment?

• What impact does being in the Scouts or Cadets have on attainment and wider skills?

• What impact does increased physical exercise have on motivation, attention and attainment?

• What effect does a social and emotional learning curriculum have in primary and secondary schools?

• What is the impact of one-to-one mentoring and support for children at risk of dropping out of school?

EEF approach to SES

Early EEF projects focused on improving SES as a way to improve attainment.

Increasingly EEF is interested in SES as an outcome in addition to attainment:

New Character and Education projects

Intervention Phase DomainsOutcomes (measures)

Scale and stage

Positive Action: A social and emotional learning programme to develop self-confidence, positive behaviour & teamwork.

Primary, whole school

• Self-perception• Social skills• Persistence• Empathy

• Attainment• Self-perception• Social skills• TBC

• 15 schools • 6,300 pupils• Pilot

Zippy’s Friends. A teacher-led programme of weekly stories and activities to increase coping skills.

Key Stage 2 • Resilience & coping• Social competencies

• Attainment• Resilience

• 70 schools• 2,700 pupils• Efficacy RCT

FRIENDS: A cognitive behavioural therapy based programme, which aims to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in young people.

Key Stage 2 • Resilience & coping• Self-esteem• Well-being

• Attainment• Resilience (PSWQ)• Well-being

• 80 schools• 2,700 pupils• Efficacy RCT

Oracy Framework: Approaches that help schools embed speaking and listening skills within their core curriculum, developed by School 21.

Cross phase • Communication skills• Social skills

• Attainment• Speaking and listening

(Oracy Assessment tool)

• 12 schools• 1,800 pupils• Pilot

Changing Mindsets: Workshops for pupils, and training for teachers, to encourage a “growth mindset” where pupils recognise that results depend on effort, not natural intelligence.

Key Stage 2 • Self-concept of ability• Self-efficacy• Motivation• Resilience

• Attainment (KS2)• Growth Mindset• Resilience

• 100 Schools• 4,500 pupils• Effectiveness

RCT

Self-affirmation: Simple exercises designed to “reaffirm” pupil’s personal identity, and reduce stereotype threat.

Key Stage 4 • Self-concept of ability• Self-efficacy

• Attainment (GCSE) • 25 schools• 7,800 pupils• Efficacy RCT

EEF’s approach to measurement on social and emotional skills

Emerging principles:• select measures related to the theory and aims of an

intervention• select measures that are reliable, validated and practical to

deliver, from test database• measure attainment and social and emotional skills as

primary outcomes where appropriate• be selective about what is measured• work towards consistent set of measures across trials• understand the relationship between changes in SES and

other outcomes over the long-term (eg, links to attainment and employment)

Developing a common set of measures

• Testing database: summarises most promising measures in a given domain – work in progress

• Describes measures, practical issues, validity, references etc.• No ‘best measure’ but aim to work towards a common set

@theEIFoundation eif.org.uk

The strength of evidence for programmes that enhance social and emotional skills

Leon Feinstein20 October 2015

With thanks to co-authors Kirsten Asmussen, Haroon Chowdry and Jack Martin and Ilenia Piergallini

First Principles

Evidence StandardsAn intervention may be judged as effective if it can demonstrate a meaningful impact through a rigorous evaluation

Good RCTs/QEDs can indicate causality and enable assessment of scale of impact.

Assessing programmes

• Programmes can go up and down, • They can split or merge or change. • The evidence on programmes changes• They operate different in different

places

@theEIFoundation | eif.org.uk

Key findings from Social and Emotional Learning review

Looked at programmes available in the UK that aim to enhance the social and emotional skills development of children and young people aged 4-20 years.

Programmes in school and out-of-school settings were included. A broader call for evidence in youth sector was supported by Demos.

Strong and consistent support for the impact of social and emotional skills programmes implemented in schools. There is a range of programmes with good evidence of effectiveness.

The evidence for programmes delivered in out-of-school youth settings is weaker but this is a sector clearly in transition with substantial new evidence emerging.

Evidence pre-rating 1 2 3 4

School (% of 39) 5 18 46 31

Non-school (% of 55) 40 49 5 5

The Best Start at Home Review

• 100 programmes identified• 82 interventions available and identifiable• 72 providers responded to our request for information

• A systematic search for interventions that aim to support preschool children’s social, emotional, self-regulatory and cognitive development through parent/child interaction.

Findings

3(4%)

15(18%)

26(32%)

23(28%)12

(15%)

3(4%)

Findings

Findings

@theEIFoundation | eif.org.ukPRESENTATION TITLE

Key Messages• C-5 early interventions should be

developmentally specific carefully tailored to need of the right dose

• We found that programmes focusing on behaviours have better evidence of effectiveness than those focused on attachment or early cognitive skill

• Targeted programmes of these sorts have better evidence of effectiveness than do more universal activities of these sorts.

• Interventions that aim to support attachment security should target parental drivers at all points in early child development – not just during pregnancy or the child’s first year

• The third birthday is an ideal time to identify behavioural and language problems and offer well targeted interventions

Measuring social and emotional skills

Robin BanerjeeSchool of Psychology, University of Sussex

robinb@sussex.ac.ukwww.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/cress

Some challenges

◦Definitions

◦Multidimensionality

◦Multiple measurement approaches

◦Multiple informants

Overlapping terminology

Social competence

Emotional health and well-being

Resilience and

character

Emotional literacy

Social and emotional

understanding

Social and emotional

intelligence

Social and emotional

skills

Intersecting domains

Emotion

Behaviour

Cognition

MotivationRelationship

s

Methods and informants

Emotion

Behaviour

Cognition

MotivationRelationship

s

Self-report

Observation

Parent, teacher,

peer report

Self-report

Parent, teacher,

peer report

Self-report

Observation

Parent, teacher,

peer report

Self-report

Assessment tasks

Two (blurry) dichotomies

◦dispositional traits vs. skills

◦adjustment outcomes vs. underpinning competencies

Two (blurry) dichotomies

◦dispositional traits vs. skills

◦adjustment outcomes vs. underpinning competencies

What do we want to measure?◦Social and emotional adjustment◦Mental health difficulties and behavioural problems◦Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire◦Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory◦Children’s Depression Inventory◦Spence Child Anxiety Scale etc.

◦Life satisfaction and well-being◦Huebner Student Life Satisfaction Scale◦Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale etc.

◦Self-perceptions and self-worth◦Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children◦Marsh Self-Description Questionnaire etc.

◦Peer relationships◦Asher & Wheeler Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction

Scale◦Parker & Asher Friendship Quality ◦Kouwenberg et al. Best Friend Index◦Coie & Dodge sociometric nominations etc.

My Class

My Feelings

◦Overall social competence and ‘generic social and emotional skills’◦see systematic review by Humphrey et al. (2011)◦Gresham and Elliott Social Skills Improvement

System◦Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence ◦Merrell School Social Behavior Scales etc.

Social and emotional understanding

◦the ‘false belief’ task

difficult for autistic children (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985)

◦huge range of tasks across early years and the school years◦Denham affective perspective-taking tasks◦Nowicki & Duke – Diagnostic Analysis of Non-Verbal

Accuracy◦Happe & Frith – Strange Stories◦Pons & Harris – Theory of Mind Test and Test of

Emotion Comprehension

◦social understanding can be demonstrated to improve through conversation-based interventions

* *

Lecce et al. (2014)

Link social and emotional understanding to adjustment and other competencies

◦Fantuzzo & McWayne Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale

◦social competence ratings

◦sociometric nominations

◦academic achievement

Emotion recognition and labelling at age 2-3

Interactive peer play

shows positive emotions

sharing toys

comforts others

helps other children

Mathieson & Banerjee (2010)

Caputi et al. (2012)

Theory of Mind at age 5More peer acceptance

and less peer rejection at age 7

More cooperative behaviour at age 6

Lecce et al. (in prep.)

Theory of Mind at age 5 Better academic achievement at age 8

Less peer rejection at age 7

Early peer rejection More peer rejection!

Difficulties with social understanding

Banerjee et al. (2011)

Managing feelings

◦executive function skills◦e.g., Day/Night, Tower of Hanoi, Wisconsin Card

Sort etc.

◦emotion regulation◦e.g., Shields & Cicchetti Emotion Regulation

Checklist

◦coping strategies◦e.g., Wright et al.’s adapted Self-Report Coping

Scale

Motivation and persistence

◦assessment tasks (e.g., task choice, persistence with challenging puzzle)

◦Midgley Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale

◦Schwarzer General Self-Efficacy scale

Implementing measures at school: Some considerations◦Screening for ‘problems’

◦Needs assessment

◦Tracking change

◦Quantitative vs. qualitative

◦Multiple informants/contexts

Questions for discussion

• How do we build measures that are developmental rather than accountability focused?

• Would schools benefit from more support and guidance about different approaches? If so, what?

• Can we agree on a name for this subject? ‘Non-cognitive skills’, ‘Character’, ‘Social and emotional skills’, ‘Skills for life and work’, ‘Soft skills’, ‘Non academic skills’…