Empowering Students Interdependence through Social and Emotional Learning: The Case of a Lebanese Private School

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a social-emotional learning program on the behavior and academic performance of students in grade 5 in a Lebanese private school, as well as the need to infuse such programs into schools. To achieve that, a mixed method approach was used. In the quantitative part of the research, an experimental study and a survey were done. A sample of 32, grade 5 students, divided between a control and an experimental group were studied, results were analyzed and the effect of the social-emotional learning program on their academic performance in science was examined. In the survey, a sample of 41 members of school staff answered a questionnaire, and their opinion about the need and importance of infusing such programs into schools was studied. As for the qualitative part of the study, the researcher observed the behavior of some of the students in the experimental group, during the time were the program was implemented, between February 29 till March 11, 2016. The results of this intervention, showed improvement in the behavior and academic performance of the students in grade 5 in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. Respondents to the survey confirmed that applying social emotional learning is essential in providing students success and in affecting students achievements, and they highlighted on the importance of having such programs infused in the educational programs of their school, which implied that there is a need to use social emotional learning in schools especially in grade 5.