Effects of the “Social and Emotional Learning of 8 Abilities at the Nursery School” (SEL-8N) Program on Preschool Children’s Social Behavior

Abstract

The present study examined effects of an intervention program called“Social and Emotional Learning of 8 Abilities at the Nursery School” (SEL-8N; Yamada & Koizumi, 2014, in Japanese) on preschool children＇s social behavior. The preschool children (n＝265) who participated in the intervention program were given 13 classwide 15-to 20-minute sessions over an 8-month period; the preschool children in the control group (n＝266) did not receive the intervention. The children receiving the intervention attended a different private preschool from the control group children. The results of a 3-factor mixed ANOVA on the children＇s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores showed significant effects on the children＇s behavior of their having participated in the intervention. In particular, positive changes were observed in the behavior of the children in the high-needs group, and children with low needs showed progress in their peer relations and pro-sociality. The intervention was discussed in relation to its possible usefulness for prevention of the “first-grade problem” in elementary schools (the problems that children have during the transition to elementary school).