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Abstract(s)
As a result of the excessive professional demands that characterize their daily lives, teachers are among the professionals with the highest prevalence of occupational stress and burnout in Portugal. Due to the psychosocial, educational, organizational, and economic risks of teacher burnout, the occupational health of teachers represents one of the main current political and scientific concerns. In this scenario, psychology has invested in the identification of effective ways to promote teachers’ occupational health, with Social and Emotional Learning interventions presenting promising results in this regard.
This research project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a theoretically and empirically grounded, and ecologically and socially validated online Social and Emotional Learning intervention program named A+, considering, in the different stages of its design and evaluation, the role of contextual variables. To this end, this research integrated three distinct phases (composed of six interrelated empirical studies). The first sought, through literature review studies, to identify theoretical and empirical gaps in the current literature, informing the planning and evaluation of the intervention program and supporting the decision-making of the 2nd and 3rd phases of the research project. In the 2nd phase, as a result of the gaps previously identified, two measurement instruments were developed and adapted, which were later used in the evaluation of the intervention program. The 3rd phase, in turn, consisted of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the A+. All studies included in this research project were supported by the theoretical framework of Social and Emotional Learning for teachers, the Social and emotional competence in schools’ model and the Job demands and resources’ model.
The 1st study evaluated the effectiveness of pre-existing Social and Emotional Learning interventions for teachers through a systematic review with meta-analysis of 43 empirical studies. According to the results, the interventions were shown to be effective in promoting teachers’ social and emotional skills (g = 0.59, 95% CI [0.29, 0.90]) and well-being (g = 0.35, 95% CI [0.16, 0.54]), as well as in decreasing their psychological distress (g = -0.34, 95% CI [-0.57, -0.10]). Nevertheless, high between-studies heterogeneity was identified, as well as publication bias in some of the outcome domains assessed.
The 2nd study sought to deepen the results found previously. For this purpose, a systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted of 13 empirical studies that evaluated the efficacy of Social and Emotional Learning interventions on teachers’ burnout indicators. The results showed a significant impact of the interventions on teachers’ emotional exhaustion (g = -0.37, 95% CI [-0.70, -0.03]) and personal accomplishment (g = 0.45, 95% CI [0.12, 0.79]) dimensions. Specifically for personal accomplishment, the findings suggested that interventions lasting three months or longer and tailored to the specific needs of pre-school and elementary-school teachers appear to be more effective.
Taken together, the results of these studies contributed to the identification of specific characteristics to consider when designing Social and Emotional Learning interventions for teachers, as well as to the recognition of methodological constraints that may impact their efficacy, namely, the inconsistency of the instruments used, which contributes to the high heterogeneity identified among the studies. Thus, considering the variables subject to assessment in the 3rd phase of the project, the validation of measurement instruments that allowed for a robust assessment of the Social and Emotional Competence and the perception of organizational climate among Portuguese elementary-school teachers was deemed necessary.
Hence, the 3rd study involved the development of the Social and Emotional Competence Assessment Battery for Adults, with a total sample of 796 Portuguese adults. The 4th study, integrating a total sample of 768 Portuguese elementary-school teachers, consisted in the Portuguese adaptation of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Revised for Elementary schools. In both studies, factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and validity of the measures were assessed. The main results of both studies suggested the adequacy of the instruments to assess, respectively, adults’ social and emotional competence and the organizational climate of Portuguese elementary schools. Overall, these studies ensured the psychometric quality of the instruments that were subsequently used to assess the efficacy of the intervention program.
The 5th study described the development of the A+ intervention. In a first step, 10 focus group interviews were conducted (N = 66 teachers), to (1) assess teachers perceived social and emotional needs and (2) understand their interest in participating in a Social and Emotional Learning intervention. Findings suggested the interest and relevance of this type of intervention. Also, the results highlighted the relationship between contextual variables and teachers perceived Social and Emotional Competence. In the subsequent stage, a pilot study with 21 elementary-school teachers and a pre-post-test design allowed for a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy, implementation quality, and social validity of a trial version of the A+. Results showed promising indicators of quality, adequacy, and efficacy of the intervention, evidencing participants’ high interest and satisfaction, and mostly positive effects of the intervention on the outcome variables.
Study 6 entailed the evaluation of the final version of the A+ intervention, through a between-samples longitudinal design involving 81 Portuguese elementary-school teachers. Overall, the findings suggested the efficacy of the A+, showing positive impacts on proximal (e.g., self-regulation) and distal (e.g., well-being) variables favoring the experimental group. Nevertheless, and as expected, results differed across the school contexts, emphasizing the predictive role of organizational climate in teachers’ Social and Emotional Competence. These results were accompanied by good implementation quality indicators and highlighted the impact of participants’ responsiveness on post-intervention outcomes.
These studies contributed to scientific knowledge and psychological practice regarding teachers’ professional development and occupational health by providing a socially relevant and validated intervention program. Furthermore, the findings add to the reflection on the methodological practices and guidelines for implementation and evaluation of interventions in educational settings, ensuring their cost-effectiveness. Finally, this project provided insight on the importance of integrating contextual variables in the planning and evaluation of interventions for teachers’ professional development and occupational health.
Description
Keywords
clima organizacional competências sociais e emocionais planeamento e avaliação de programas professores saúde e bem-estar ocupacional occupational health and well-being organizational climate program planning and evaluation social and emotional competence teachers