WWC review of this study

Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Preschool Students: A Study of "Strong Start Pre-K" [Strong Start Pre-K vs. business as usual]

Gunter, Leslie; Caldarella, Paul; Korth, Byran B.; Young, K. Richard (2012). Early Childhood Education Journal, v40 n3 p151-159. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ963276

  •  examining 
    84
     Students
    , grade
    PK

Reviewed: July 2021

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Social-Emotional Learning outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales--Second Edition (PKBS-2): internalizing problem behaviors

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
84 students

86.75

81.34

No

--

Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS; 2nd Edition): Emotional Regulation Subscale

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
84 students

13.96

13.56

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS)-Conflict Score

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

34.71

20.53

No

--

Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales--Second Edition (PKBS-2): internalizing problem behaviors

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

89.64

82.34

No

--

Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS)-Total Score

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

96.88

87.47

No

--

Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS)-Closeness Score

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

77.75

72.81

No

--

Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS; 2nd Edition): Emotional Regulation Subscale

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

13.74

13.94

No

--

Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS)-Dependency Score

Strong Start Pre-K vs. Business as usual

6 Weeks

Full sample;
84 students

-0.68

8.53

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • Female: 50%
    Male: 50%

  • Suburban, Urban
    • B
    • A
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • I
    • H
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • P
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • V
    • U
    • T
    • W
    • X
    • Z
    • Y
    • a
    • h
    • i
    • b
    • d
    • e
    • f
    • c
    • g
    • j
    • k
    • l
    • m
    • n
    • o
    • p
    • q
    • r
    • s
    • t
    • u
    • x
    • w
    • y

    Utah
  • Race
    Black
    2%
    Native American
    1%
    White
    26%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    67%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    33%

Setting

The study was conducted in a Title I preschool in a metropolitan area in Utah.

Study sample

Study participants were 66.7% Hispanic, 26.2% White, 3.6% Mixed Ethnicities, 2.4% African American, and 1.2% Native American. Students were 50% female and 50% male.

Intervention Group

The Strong Start Pre-K curriculum consists of 10 lessons and two optional booster session lessons. It also includes a bulletin sent home to parents at the end of each of the ten lessons. The curriculum emphasizes social-emotional learning (SEL) that is developmentally appropriate and aimed to reduce students' internalizing problem behaviors and increase students' peer-related prosocial behaviors.

Comparison Group

The comparison condition was business-as-usual.

Support for implementation

Teachers were given a brief orientation to the study. Intervention teachers received a one-hour introduction to SEL and manuals for the Strong Start Pre-K curriculum approximately 3 weeks before teaching the first lesson.

 

Your export should download shortly as a zip archive.

This download will include data files for study and findings review data and a data dictionary.

Connect With the WWC

loading
back to top