融入自我決定之社會情緒學習課程對國小學童社會情緒能力、自我概念、情緒行為困擾及主觀幸福感之成效

The Effectiveness of a Self-Determination Theory-Integrated Social and Emotional Learning Program on Social Emotional Competence, Self-Concept, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties, and Subjective Well-Being Among Elementary School Students

社會情緒學習（Social and Emotional Learning, SEL）在國外已被廣泛應用，並在提升學校心理健康方面累積大量實證成果，然國內有關國小學童之SEL介入方案仍在起步，且大多是以教學者主導的一系列課程，較少強調學習者的自我決定與內在心理需求，因此，本研究從課程設計到教學過程，試圖融入自我決定理論之內涵來發展一套社會情緒學習課程，探討其對國小學童之成效。本研究採前、後測不等組之準實驗研究設計，選取臺灣北部都會區某國小四年級學童共100人（男51人、女49人）為研究對象，以班級為單位分派為實驗組和對照組各兩班，班級型態皆為常態分班，實驗組接受為期九週，每週40分鐘的融入自我決定之SEL課程，對照組維持原綜合活動課程，兩組皆進行「社會情緒學習量表」、「貝克兒童及青少年量表第二版（BYI-II）中文版」與「兒童幸福感量表」之前、後測，所得數據經共變數分析與平行中介分析檢驗課程成效。研究結果顯示，融入自我決定之SEL課程能有效提升學童社會情緒能力，尤其在「自我管理」與「人際技巧」兩方面，且本課程能顯著提升國小學童的自我概念與主觀幸福感，然在情緒行為困擾方面未達顯著。此外，自我概念與心理幸福感透過自我管理完全中介，情緒幸福感透過自我管理部分中介。整體而言，融入自我決定之SEL課程能有效提升國小四年級學童社會情緒能力、自我概念與主觀幸福感，最後根據研究結果提出結論及相關建議。

Background & Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound global impact on the mental health of children and adolescents, with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and psychological stress. In Taiwan, this concern remains critical in the post-pandemic era, as youth suicide rates have steadily risen over the past decade, with a sharper increase compared to other age groups. These trends highlight the urgent need for schools to prioritize the long-term development of students’ affective competencies, such as emotional regulation, interpersonal communication, and stress management. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has been widely implemented internationally, with substantial empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in promoting school-based mental health. Many schools have integrated SEL into suicide prevention frameworks to reduce psychological risk factors. However, SEL intervention programs for elementary students in Taiwan are still in the initial stages. Most existing programs are primarily teacher-directed and focus less on fostering students’ self-determination and basic psychological needs. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an SEL program that integrates Self-Determination Theory (SDT), focusing on students’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and to examine its effectiveness on social emotional competence, self-concept, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and subjective well-being among elementary school students in Taiwan.

Literature Review

1. SEL and SDT: Recent literature has emphasized the importance of integrating SDT into SEL programs to meet students’ psychological needs. Research has shown that when learners experience autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom, their engagement and SEL outcomes improve (Assor & Yitshaki, 2023; Ng, 2023). Studies across cultures have confirmed that SDT-Integrated SEL programs foster social-emotional development (Kurdi et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2024).

2. Moreover, SEL has been shown to enhance students’ self-concept and reduce internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (Coelho et al., 2014; Daunic et al., 2021).

3. A growing body of research also supports the positive relationship between SEL and students’ subjective well-being (Abrahams et al., 2019; Ashdown & Bernard, 2012; Barry et al., 2017; Tan & Chua, 2024).

Method

This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with non-equivalent groups. Participants included 100 fourth-grade students (51 boys and 49 girls) from an elementary school in northern Taiwan, who were assigned by class to either an experimental group or a control group, with two classes each, and all classes are regular classes. The experimental group received a nine-week SDT-integrated SEL program, with a 40-minute session each week, while the control group continued with the regular comprehensive activities curriculum. Both groups completed pretests and posttests using the “Social Emotional Learning Scale,” the Chinese version of the “Beck Youth Inventory-II (BYI-II),” and the “Children’s Well-Being Scale.” Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and parallel mediation analysis to assess the program’s effectiveness.

Results

The results indicated that the SDT-integrated SEL program significantly enhanced students’ social emotional competence, particularly in self-management (F(1, 98) = 8.19，p < .01) and relationship skills (F(1, 98) = 10.26，p < .01). Additionally, this program effectively improved students’ self-concept and subjective well-being, although it does not achieve significant effects in emotional and behavioral difficulties. Furthermore, parallel mediation analysis showed that self-concept and psychological well-being were fully mediated by self-management, while emotional well-being was partially mediated by self-management. Overall, the SDT-integrated SEL program demonstrated effectiveness in promoting social emotional competence, self-concept, and subjective well-being among the fourth-grade elementary students in Taiwan.

Conclusion

The SDT-integrated SEL program can effectively enhance elementary students’ social emotional competence, especially in self-management and relationship skills. It also showed the importance of incorporating SDT into the teaching process to meet the three basic psychological needs of students, including teachers using open discussions and providing students with choices (autonomy), enabling students to feel capable of achieving goals (competence), and fostering a sense of support and acceptance within the group (relatedness). In summary, the SDT-integrated SEL program can effectively enhance the social emotional competence, self-concept, and subjective well-being among fourth-grade elementary students in Taiwan.