Effects of a social-emotional learning-based program on self-esteem and self-perception of gifted kindergarten students: A pilot study

Abstract

Social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental health preventive programs are very popular internationally; however, there is limited research evaluating their effects on gifted children. This study aimed to design a SEL-focused preventive program for gifted preschoolers and assess its effects on variables related to personal and character strengths. In addition, the relative differential impact of the program on both genders was explored. The study used an experimental design, with repeated pretest-post-test measures and a control group. A total of 120 gifted students aged 5-6 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups. To measure the dependent variables, two assessment instruments were administered before and after the program. The experimental group joined a 12 onehour lesson program based on SEL principles and used cognitive-behavior strategies. At the baseline, no significant difference between the groups in terms of self-esteem and self-perceptions (p > 0.005) were observed, except for peer relations selfperception (p = 0.028). The results revealed that the program was effective in increasing students' self-esteem and self-perception scores; moreover, the analysis showed a significant group-by-time interaction effect in the assessed variables (p < 0.005). Regardless of the impact of the program on both genders, the change was very similar; however, the boys showed higher scores than the girls across most variables. This program significantly improved all taught skills, corroborating the findings of other studies, which support that SEL can improve children's self-esteem. The strengths and limitations of this study and the importance of implementing prevention programs to promote socio-emotional development are also discussed. To cite this article: Papadopoulos, D. (2020). Effects of a social-emotional learning-based program on self-esteem and selfperception of gifted kindergarten students: A pilot study.

Emotional Intelligence Profiles and Self-Esteem/Self-Concept: An Analysis of Relationships in Gifted Students

“…It seems that adolescents with high scores in these two dimensions tend to feel more positive affect during the self-assessment process and to assess themselves better, which in turn provides them with greater satisfaction with life; that is, the average self-esteem in this process [118]. In kindergarten children, social-emotional learning preventive programs improve selfesteem [119].…”

Examining the Relationships among Cognitive Ability, Domain-Specific Self-Concept, and Behavioral Self-Esteem of Gifted Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…To be eligible for the study, each gifted child was required to have a signed report from a licensed psychologist certifying that his/her full-scale IQ score was 120 or above according to the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPSSI-III-Greek version). This cutoff score has been proposed by other researchers to identify giftedness and for enrollment in services for gifted persons [18,64]. Participants who had been previously diagnosed with any learning disability or mental health condition were excluded from the study.…”

“…The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III) [65], Greek version [66], is a cognitive ability measure for children aged 2.6-7.3 years that provides an overall ability score (the Full-Scale IQ) and scores on four factor indices: verbal IQ (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ), processing speed quotient (PSQ), and a general language composite (GLQ). Wechsler scales are commonly used to identify gifted children and to plan psycho-educational services [64]. Scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.…”

Examining The Effect of Interactive Book Reading Method on The Self-Perception of 5-6 Year-Old Children

“…Topcu Bilir (2019) found that the life skills program had a positive effect on the life skills, self-perception and social emotional adjustment levels of five-year-old children. Papadopoulos (2020) found that the social emotional learning-oriented program applied to gifted children positively affected children's self-perception. Bozkurt Polat et al (2021) concluded that the social skills training program applied to immigrant Afghan children had a positive effect on the development of selfperception.…”