Effectiveness of Social and Emotional Learning in Improving the Subjective Well-Being of Higher Secondary School Students

Abstract

The present study examined the effectiveness of Social and Emotional Learning in improving the subjective well-being of higher secondary school students. The study adopted a single-group pre-test–post-test design. The sample consisted of 45 higher secondary school students from Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, selected through multistage cluster sampling. The tool used for data collection was a Subjective Well-Being Scale consisting of 24 items under three components, namely life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. After the administration of the pre-test, the students were exposed to a short-term, structured Social and Emotional Learning intervention conducted through classroom-based activities such as guided discussion, role play, group sharing, reflective exercises, emotional identification tasks, empathy-building activities, and problem-solving situations. On completion of the intervention, the post-test was administered using the same scale. The collected data were analysed using EDUSTAT. Mean, Standard Deviation, paired-samples t test, and Subin’s E effect size were used for analysis. The findings revealed significant improvement in total subjective well-being and in all its components. The effect size analysis also indicated strong to very strong improvement. The study concluded that Social and Emotional Learning was effective in improving the subjective well-being of higher secondary school students.