THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING NEEDS ON DECREASING THE MENTAL SYMPTOMS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine whether the social and emotional learning needs are affective in preserving the mental health of students during elementary level education. To this end, it was assessed at what level and in what direction the social and emotional learning needs of students in the second stage of elementary level education relationships their mental symptoms. The participants of this study are 320 elementary school students (Girls n= 149, 48.10%; boysn= 161, 51.90%) who were enrolled to an elementary level school during the 2009-2010 school year in the central district of Izmir. The Social-Emotional Learning Scale developed by Coryn, Spybrook, and Blinkiewicz (2009) and adopted into Turkish by Totan (2011) and the Brief Symptom Inventory and the personal information form developed by Derogatis (1992) and adopted into Turkish by Şahin, Durak Batıgün, and Uğurtaş (2002) were used as data acquisition tools in the study. According to the research findings, negative and statistically significant relationships were determined between social and emotional learning needs and the mental symptoms. Also, it was determined as a result of multiple linear regression analysis that the social and emotional learning needs of second grade elementary level students are effective in decreasing the mental symptoms.

Keywords

• Social and emotional learning, mental symptoms, protective guidance services, multiple linear regression analysis

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