The Effectiveness of a Self-Determination Theory-Integrated Social and Emotional Learning Program on Social Emotional Competence, Self-Concept, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties, and Subjective Well-Being Among Elementary School Students
Author: Chi-He Su (Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, National Taiwan Normal University; Taoyuan Municipal Jane-Der Primary School), Meng-Ning Tsai (Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, National Taiwan Normal University), Hsueh-Chih Chen (Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, National Taiwan Normal University, Social Emotional Education and Development Center, National Taiwan Normal University)
Vol.&No.：Vol. 71, No. 2
Date：June 2026
Pages：265-303
DOI：https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202606_71(2).0009
Abstract：
Background & Objective
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound global impact on the mental health of children and adolescents, with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and psychological stress. In Taiwan, this concern remains critical in the post-pandemic era, as youth suicide rates have steadily risen over the past decade, with a sharper increase compared to other age groups. These trends highlight the urgent need for schools to prioritize the long-term development of students’ affective competencies, such as emotional regulation, interpersonal communication, and stress management. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has been widely implemented internationally, with substantial empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in promoting school-based mental health. Many schools have integrated SEL into suicide prevention frameworks to reduce psychological risk factors. However, SEL intervention programs for elementary students in Taiwan are still in the initial stages. Most existing programs are primarily teacher-directed and focus less on fostering students’ self-determination and basic psychological needs. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an SEL program that integrates Self-Determination Theory (SDT), focusing on students’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and to examine its effectiveness on social emotional competence, self-concept, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and subjective well-being among elementary school students in Taiwan.
Literature Review
1. SEL and SDT: Recent literature has emphasized the importance of integrating SDT into SEL programs to meet students’ psychological needs. Research has shown that when learners experience autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom, their engagement and SEL outcomes improve (Assor & Yitshaki, 2023; Ng, 2023). Studies across cultures have confirmed that SDT-Integrated SEL programs foster social-emotional development (Kurdi et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2024).
2. Moreover, SEL has been shown to enhance students’ self-concept and reduce internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (Coelho et al., 2014; Daunic et al., 2021).
3. A growing body of research also supports the positive relationship between SEL and students’ subjective well-being (Abrahams et al., 2019; Ashdown & Bernard, 2012; Barry et al., 2017; Tan & Chua, 2024).
Method
This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with non-equivalent groups. Participants included 100 fourth-grade students (51 boys and 49 girls) from an elementary school in northern Taiwan, who were assigned by class to either an experimental group or a control group, with two classes each, and all classes are regular classes. The experimental group received a nine-week SDT-integrated SEL program, with a 40-minute session each week, while the control group continued with the regular comprehensive activities curriculum. Both groups completed pretests and posttests using the “Social Emotional Learning Scale,” the Chinese version of the “Beck Youth Inventory-II (BYI-II),” and the “Children’s Well-Being Scale.” Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and parallel mediation analysis to assess the program’s effectiveness.
Results
The results indicated that the SDT-integrated SEL program significantly enhanced students’ social emotional competence, particularly in self-management (F(1, 98) = 8.19，p < .01) and relationship skills (F(1, 98) = 10.26，p < .01). Additionally, this program effectively improved students’ self-concept and subjective well-being, although it does not achieve significant effects in emotional and behavioral difficulties. Furthermore, parallel mediation analysis showed that self-concept and psychological well-being were fully mediated by self-management, while emotional well-being was partially mediated by self-management. Overall, the SDT-integrated SEL program demonstrated effectiveness in promoting social emotional competence, self-concept, and subjective well-being among the fourth-grade elementary students in Taiwan.
Conclusion
The SDT-integrated SEL program can effectively enhance elementary students’ social emotional competence, especially in self-management and relationship skills. It also showed the importance of incorporating SDT into the teaching process to meet the three basic psychological needs of students, including teachers using open discussions and providing students with choices (autonomy), enabling students to feel capable of achieving goals (competence), and fostering a sense of support and acceptance within the group (relatedness). In summary, the SDT-integrated SEL program can effectively enhance the social emotional competence, self-concept, and subjective well-being among fourth-grade elementary students in Taiwan.
Keywords：
subjective well-being, self-determination theory, self-concept, social and emotional learning