The Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills

The first of several reports to come from CASEL's major meta-analysisproject. Conducted in collaboration with Joseph Durlak of Loyola Universityand funded by the W.T. Grant Foundation, this first report describes thestrong positive effects after-school programs can have, and the conditionsneeded to realize these benefits

Improving After-School Program Quality

Summarizes the findings from two recent reports on afterschool programs and their implications for policy and practice. Supports the case that afterschool programs are capable of improving important youth outcomes

Strengthening health systems for persons with traumatic spinal cord injury in South Africa and Sweden: a protocol for a longitudinal study of processes and outcomes

BACKGROUND: The provision of specialized care in a time-sensitive manner has shown to be crucial for survival and recovery of functioning after a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). However, little is known about the provision of TSCI care in different international contexts; information which is required for strengthening policy and practice. AIMS: The overarching aim of this study will be to explore health care processes and outcomes of TSCI care in South Africa and Sweden. Specific aims will be to: (1) describe acute processes of TSCI care, (2) determine acute- and long-term outcomes of TSCI care, and (3) identify predictors for survival, secondary complications, and functioning 12 months post-injury. METHODS: A prospective (regional), population-based cohort study where adults with an acute TSCI will be recruited over at least a 1-year period from the City of Cape Town, South Africa, and Stockholm, Sweden. The anticipated sample size inclusive of both international contexts will be 200 participants—based on a power calculation for detecting differences in mortality. Information on the nature and timing of processes of acute care (e.g., transfer logistics, spinal surgery, and specialized SCI care) will be collected on acute care admission and discharge using a standardized form. Survival status, secondary complications, neurological symptoms, functional status, activity, and participation as well as health-related quality of life will be collected at discharge from SCI acute care and at 12-months post-injury. Secondary complications and functioning will be compared between South Africa and Sweden using inferential statistics. To address mortality specifically, the indirect standardization method for differences in mortality between contexts will be used whereby Stockholm will serve as standard for specialize care. For the assessment of factors related to mortality and other outcomes (e.g., neurological and secondary health conditions) multivariate regression analyses will be used to determine independent risk factors.CONCLUSION: This study offers a unique investigation of the relationship between health care processes and outcomes of TSCI care with the aim of strengthening management guidelines for SCI in South Africa and Sweden

Inteligência emocional, gênero e clima familiar em adolescentes peruanos

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship of emotional intelligence and family environment. A cross-sectional and correlational study was executed, involved 127 adolescents in San Juan de Lurigancho District, Lima - Peru. Data obtained were on age, sex, and family structure. Measurements of family environment (FE) and emotional intelligence (EI) were made through an adapted version of the Family Environment Scale (FES) and a EI scale, respectively. Student's t test was used for the comparison of emotional intelligence scores by gender and family structure and Pearson's r for the correlation analysis between family environment and emotional intelligence. The analysis revealed gender differences in empathy (t = 3.445, p <.01) and social skills (t = 2.711, p <.01), where women presented higher scores than men. There were no gender differences in the total score of EI. There were also significant differences in self-regulation (t = 2.319; p <.05) and self-motivation (t = 2.713; p <.01) in adolescents from nuclear and non-nuclear families. Finally, a direct correlation between family environment and emotional intelligence was found (r = .632, p <.01).O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a relação entre a inteligência emocional e o clima familiar. Realizou-se um estudo transversal-correlacional no qual participaram 127 adolescentes do distrito de San Juan de Lurigancho, em Lina, no Peru, onde obteve-se informação sobre sua idade, gènero e estrutura familiar. As medições do clima familiar (CF) e inteligência emocional (IE) foram feitas através de uma versão adaptada da escala do clima social familiar (FES) e uma escala de inteligência emocional. Utilizou-se o teste estatístico t de Student para a comparação das pontuações de inteligência emocional segundo o gênero e a estrutura familiar, e a r de Pearson para a análise de correlações entre o clima familiar e a inteligência emocional. Como resultado, foram encontradas diferenças de gênero em empatia (t = 3.445; p < .01) e habilidades sociais (t = 2.711; p < .01), onde as mulheres apresentaram pontuações mais altas do que os homens, mas não na pontuação total da inteligência emocional. Também, foram encontradas diferenças significativas na autorregulação (t = 2.319; p < .05) e automotivação (t = 2.713; p < .01) dos adolescentes de famílias nucleares e monoparentais e observou-se uma correlação direta entre o clima familiar e a inteligência emocional (r = .632; p < .01).El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la relación entre la inteligencia emocional y el clima familiar. Se realizó un estudio transversal-correlacional en el que participaron 127 adolescentes del distrito de San Juan de Lurigancho, en Lima, Perú, donde se obtuvo información sobre su edad, género y estructura familiar. Las mediciones del clima familiar (CF) e inteligencia emocional (IE) se hicieron a través de una versión adaptada de la escala del clima social familiar (FES) y una escala de inteligencia emocional. Se utilizó la prueba estadística t de Student para la comparación de las puntuaciones de inteligencia emocional según el género y la estructura familiar, y la r de Pearson para el análisis de correlaciones entre el clima familiar y la inteligencia emocional. Como resultado, se encontraron diferencias de género en empatía (t = 3.445; p < .01) y habilidades sociales (t = 2.711; p < .01) -donde las mujeres presentaron puntuaciones más altas que los hombres-, pero no en la puntuación total de la inteligencia emocional. También, se encontraron diferencias significativas en la autorregulación (t = 2.319; p < .05) y automotivación (t = 2.713; p < .01) de los adolescentes de familias nucleares y monoparentales; y se observó una correlación directa entre el clima familiar y la inteligencia emocional (r = .632; p < .01)

Mahoney, Joseph L., Joseph A. Durlak, and Roger P. Weinberg, an Update on Social and Emotional Learning Outcome Reserach, Phi Delta Kappan, 100(December, 2018/January,2019) 18-25.

Summarizes recent meta-analyses of research in social and emotional learning; notes key findings; gives implications for research, practice, and policy

Implementation Matters: A Review of Research on the Influence of Implementation on Program Outcomes and the Factors Affecting Implementation

Abstract The first purpose of this review was to assess the impact of implementation on program outcomes, and the second purpose was to identify factors affecting the implementation process. Results from over quantitative 500 studies offered strong empirical support to the conclusion that the level of implementation affects the outcomes obtained in promotion and prevention programs. Findings from 81 additional reports indicate there are at least 23 contextual factors that influence implementation. The implementation process is affected by variables related to communities, providers and innovations, and aspects of the prevention delivery system (i.e., organizational functioning) and the prevention support system (i.e., training and technical assistance). The collection of implementation data is an essential feature of program evaluations, and more information is needed on which and how various factors influence implementation in different community settings