Utilising a school effectiveness approach to measuring non-cognitive outcomes for the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme

Abstract

This study applies a school effectiveness approach to determining the nature and the extent of effects of non-cognitive outcomes of schooling, specifically in relation to the SEAL programme. The focus is on the potential to evaluate gains made through universal SEAL provision, as well as via intensive Family SEAL intervention for groups of children and their parents/carers. The research was undertaken within primary and secondary schools located in one English Local Authority region.

An extensive literature review of measures of student and school level academic progress in the cognitive domain shows how such measures have built on the insights of school effectiveness research and this leads to a consideration of studies of similar design focusing on non-cognitive outcomes of schooling, and the size of school and class level effects related to them.

Data from around 2000 students was used to determine a measurement model for a survey of SEAL related outcomes, and across a period of approximately 18 months, over 8500 students from 55 schools were eventually surveyed. Multilevel modelling of data on 7 non-cognitive dimensions derived from the survey was used to determine the proportion of the variance located at the student, class and school levels for each of the dimensions. Associations between each dimension and a range of student and school level factors were also investigated.

Significant associations were found to occur between non-cognitive outcomes and factors such as students’ age, gender and whether they had experience with bullying behaviours. There was some limited evidence of associations for peer-effects of bullying and the mean socioeconomic status for some of the non-cognitive dimensions. Class and especially school level effects were found to be appreciably smaller than those observed for cognitive outcomes of schooling which was broadly in line with the findings of previous research in this area.

A small scale evaluation of the impact of Family SEAL provided tentative evidence that gains from engaging in this intervention are most likely to be made by students causing concern in their social and emotional development, and that these gains are most likely to be observed at school rather than at home.

The limitations of each element of the study were considered and taken into account in making a number of recommendations for practice in schools and local and national level policy making.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Christopher John Downey: orcid.org/0000-0002-6094-0534

ORCID for Anthony Kelly: orcid.org/0000-0003-4664-8585

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