A Social-Ecological Approach to Addressing Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Schools: Focusing on Group Processes and Social Dynamics

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Trach ◽  
Matthew Lee ◽  
Shelley Hymel

A substantial body of evidence verifies that social-emotional learning (SEL) can be effectively taught in schools and can reduce the prevalence and impact of emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) among children and youth. Although the positive effects of SEL on individual student’s emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes have been investigated in some detail in recent years, most studies have focused on evaluating programs aimed at directly training social and emotional competencies with a focus on the individual. Far less is known about the role of interpersonal group dynamics and systems functioning at the levels of the peer group, classroom, and school community. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Harris’s group socialization theory, this article reviews the literature on SEL and group dynamics to identify the ways in which existing SEL frameworks already encapsulate social group processes that contribute to the promotion of positive social-emotional development of children and youth. The goals of this contribution are twofold: (a) to document how EBP can be attenuated by addressing group-level processes that already exist within SEL practices and (b) to provide educators with specific SEL strategies to address group dynamics in their classrooms to optimize outcomes for all students, including students with EBP.

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina C. Obiakor ◽  
Kristen E. Obiakor ◽  
Festus E. Obiakor ◽  
Kevin Jones

Abstract Learners with special needs experience myriad problems in general and special education. These problems range from minor academic, social, emotional, and behavioral problems to major disenfranchisements, disadvantages, and disillusionments. In addition, these problems can be very intense. As a result, they call for innovative and creative techniques that include using the Church as a spiritual tool in educational activities. As educators and health professionals who are also Christians, we believe using the Church can assist in remediating the plights of these learners with special needs and in maximizing their fullest potential in school and in life. This is the focus of this article.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (35) ◽  
pp. 9320-9325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Donnelly ◽  
Irwin Garfinkel ◽  
Jeanne Brooks-Gunn ◽  
Brandon G. Wagner ◽  
Sarah James ◽  
...  

Recent research by Chetty and colleagues finds that children’s chances of upward mobility are affected by the communities in which they grow up [Chetty R, Hendren N (2016) Working paper 23002]. However, the developmental pathways through which communities of origin translate into future economic gain are not well understood. In this paper we examine the association between Chetty and Hendren’s county-level measure of intergenerational mobility and children’s cognitive and behavioral development. Focusing on children from low-income families, we find that growing up in a county with high upward mobility is associated with fewer externalizing behavioral problems by age 3 years and with substantial gains in cognitive test scores between ages 3 and 9 years. Growing up in a county with 1 SD better intergenerational mobility accounts for ∼20% of the gap in developmental outcomes between children from low- and high-income families. Collectively, our findings suggest that the developmental processes through which residential contexts promote upward mobility begin early in childhood and involve the enrichment of both cognitive and social-emotional development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. S259-S260
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Campana ◽  
Leonardo Trasande ◽  
Andrea L. Deierlein ◽  
Sara Long ◽  
Hongxiu Liu ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Sarno Owens ◽  
Jennifer Storer ◽  
Alex S. Holdaway ◽  
Verenea J. Serrano ◽  
Yuko Watabe ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 387-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Bentley Waddoups ◽  
Hirokazu Yoshikawa ◽  
Kendra Strouf

Parent–child separation occurs for many reasons, both involuntary and voluntary. We review the effects on children and youth of parent–child separation due to several of the most common reasons that are responsible for the growth in this family circumstance worldwide. These include early institutionalization; war, persecution, and conflict; separation during asylum; trafficking; conscription into armed conflict; and being left behind when parents migrate for economic or other reasons. Overall, the effects of parent–child separation are consistently negative on children's social-emotional development, well-being, and mental health. They are more severe when the separation is prolonged or accompanied by other forms of deprivation or victimization. Mitigating and protective factors include earlier stable family placement in the case of early institutionalization, parent–child communication and parenting quality, and community support in the host community. We conclude with an evaluation of group, school-based, and community-based interventions for children and youth affected by parent–child separation.


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