The Effect of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Intervention on Self-Regulated Learning and Depth of Cognitive Processing in Students

Objective: In recent years, social-emotional learning has been recognized as an effective approach for enhancing learners' cognitive and self-regulatory skills. By emphasizing emotional growth, social interaction, and responsible decision-making, these programs can improve deep learning and self-directed learning processes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of a social-emotional learning program on the self-directed learning and cognitive processing depth of high school students in the city of Khoy.
Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all high school students in Khoy during the 2024-2025 academic year. In the first stage, to identify eligible individuals, all students were initially screened using Fisher et al.'s (2013) Self-Directed Learning Questionnaire and Marton and Säljö's (1964) Deep Cognitive Processing Information Questionnaire. After analyzing the results, students who scored below the designated cut-off point on both scales were identified as the group in need of training. In the next stage, 32 individuals (considering the standard norm of the training package) were selected via accessible and voluntary sampling and then randomly assigned to two groups: experimental (16 participants) and control (16 participants). The experimental group participated in a social-emotional learning program based on the National Social-Emotional Learning Federation model. This program was conducted over eight one-hour sessions during three months, emphasizing the development of self-awareness, self-regulation, responsible decision-making, empathy, and social skills. Data were collected and analyzed in two stages: pre-test and post-test.
Findings: The findings indicated that the results of the univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for the pre-test effect, demonstrated a significant effect of the social-emotional learning program on students' self-directed learning and cognitive processing depth (P < 0.05). The effect sizes indicated that this program had a moderate to strong impact on the sub-components of self-directed learning (η² = 0.36 to 0.55) and cognitive processing depth (η² = 0.39 to 0.84).
Conclusion: Social-emotional learning fosters a more realistic attitude towards learning in students by strengthening effective strategies and techniques. Therefore, the implementation of this program is recommended to enhance self-directed learning and cognitive processing depth among high school students.