To whom do results of SEL programs apply?

By Marta Pellegrini, University of Cagliari, Italy

For decades, education experiments and meta-analyses have focused on how effective  an intervention is on average. However, this assumes that the same effect is expected with all students and in all contexts, which educators know is unrealistic. The effectiveness of an intervention can vary depending on factors such as student characteristics, how the program is delivered, or its duration.  More recently, there has been a shift toward designing experiments that clearly identify to which populations results can generalize, helping practitioners better understand what effects to expect.

A recent review by Tiffany Jones and colleagues explored to what extent ethnic diversity of students was represented in studies evaluating SEL programs and which SEL programs benefitted ethnic minorities. They analyzed 97 experimental studies on school-based interventions listed in the CASEL framework, focusing on U.S. students aged  3-11.

The review found that ethnicity was not reported for 18% of students in these studies. Among those with reported data, White students were the most represented group (35%), followed by African American (28%) and Hispanic (23%), with less than 5% belonging to other ethnicities. Of the 69 trials that included a mix of ethnicities, only 13 investigated effects by ethnic group. Results showed that seven SEL programs had proven benefits for Black students, while four benefitted Hispanic students. These findings were based on studies that either focused on a single racial group or showed positive effects for a specific subgroup.

The authors concluded that most of the trials did not adequately consider the role of ethnicity in their evaluations, and that more research is needed to understand how SEL programs impact racial minority groups.