MedPath

Learning for Hearts and Minds in Elementary School

Not Applicable
Conditions
Social Emotional Learning
Interventions
Behavioral: Waiting list group of the intervention
Behavioral: SEELearning Training
Registration Number
NCT06174467
Lead Sponsor
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
Brief Summary

ABSTRACT- Introduction: Skills such as recognizing and managing emotions, developing empathy, building cooperative relationships, solving problems effectively and obtaining communication skills have gained importance in several schools and this has been made possible by Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL). Robust studies in this area in Latin America are lacking, and what happens in the brain and in our general physiology, from trainings related to SEL, needs to be better understood. Objectives: To assess the effects of Learning for Hearts and Minds Training (TACM) on positive and negative affect, empathy and compassion, emotional expression, self-compassion, life satisfaction, sense of community in the classroom, academic goals, school performance, brain activity and heart rate variability in 4th and 5th year elementary school students. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial in clusters with cross-over, in approximately 600 students. By the end of the first semester, one group of students will receive the TACM and the other will be a waiting control group. In the second semester, the latter will receive the TACM and the former will continue the TACM practices. The groups will be evaluated in 5 moments during the year. A classroom will be randomly assigned to undergo an assessment of brain activity and cardiac variability to assess their ability to regulate emotions. Students, parents and teachers will be drawn for a qualitative interview at the end of the academic semesters about the effects of TACM.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
600
Inclusion Criteria
  • Students of selected public schools of Junidaí of the 4th and 5th grade of Brazilian elementary School
Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Second group to receive the interventionWaiting list group of the interventionThe cluster of classes of different scholls forming the second group, will not be instructed in the social emotional and ethical learning training (SEELearning) in the first semester, but will answer the questionaries during this period. Than, in next semester they will receive the Training.
First group to receive the interventionSEELearning TrainingThis cluster of classes of different scholls will be instructed in the social emotional and ethical learning training (SEELearning) and being tested trought questionaries.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
the effects of TACM on students' ability to regulate their emotions by assessing their brain activity and cardiac variability1 year

Groups of children who were submitted to TACM will be avaluated in their emotional regulation capacities and have their brain activities and cardiac variability measured by Fnears and Polar before in 2 moments (before the training just before the end of the first semester and near the end of the school year, when they have already received all the training TACM)

Change in School performance1 year

Classification of colleagues according to social characteristics:

In this report, students will make lists of colleagues who have the following characteristics: students who are generous; who show compassion; who get along well with others; get along well with their teachers.

Change in sense of comunity in the classroom scores1 year

They will answer the Scale of Sense of Community in the Classroom The scale has 14 items that assess students' perception in the classroom as belonging to a community and promoting group values. The 5-item Likert scale ranges from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree" .

Change in Academic Objectives scores1 year

They will answer the Academic Objectives Scale Scale of 6 items in which the student states about his perception of achieving learning objectives. 5-point Likert scale ranges from "not at all like me" to "exactly like me".

the effects of TACM on students' ability to regulate their emotions by assessing their brain activity1 year

Groups of children who were submitted to TACM will be avaluated in their emotional regulation capacities and have their brain activities measured by FNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy) in 2 moments (before the training just before the end of the first semester and near the end of the school year, when they have already received all the training TACM)

the effects of TACM on students' ability to regulate their emotions by assessing their heart rate variability the effects of TACM on student's ability to regulate their emotions by assessing the heart rate variability1 year

We will measure the heart rate variability using a Polar belt

Change in Positive and negative Affects scores1 year

they will answer the "Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children (PANAS-C) questionary." Consisting of 34 items, with 17 items in each subscale, it is used to measure children's emotions during the previous weeks. The subscales measure positive and negative affect. The scale features words that describe different feelings and emotions on a 5-item Likert scale, ranging from 1 ("very little or not at all") to 5 ("extremely").

Change in Empathy and Compassion1 year

Students will respond to the "Empathy and Compassion Scale" Consisting of 14 items, it assesses empathy and the ability to take perspective. It assesses how the individual relates to the difficulties faced by other people. It features a 5-item Likert scale ranging from "not at all like me" to "exactly how I

Change in emotional expression scores1 year

They will answer the "Emotional Expression Scale in Children" It presents 6 questions about the child's ability to express their emotions. Each question is answered on a 5-item Likert scale ranging from "not at all true" to "completely true".

Change in Self-compassion sco4es1 year

They will answer the Self-Compassion Scale - short version It has 12 questions about how the individual treats himself compared to the way he treats other people. Each question is answered on a 5-item Likert scale ranging from "never" to "always".

Change in satisfaction with life perception scores1 year

They will answer the Life Satisfaction Scale for Children It has 5 questions about how satisfied the child is with his life. The Likert scale has 5 items ranging from "totally disagree" to "totally agree"

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Teachers TACM Literacy and aplication1 year

The teachers responsible for the classrooms will be trained in TACM during the semester and will be evaluated in terms of attendance at training, filling out questionnaires, participating in chats, self-assessing their levels of stress, frustration, well-being, motivation and attention in a scale (items ranging from 0 to 10).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

🇧🇷

São Paulo, Brazil

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