Validation of Italian students’ self-ratings on the SSIS SEL brief scales

Frontiers in Psychology

Psychology

Valeria Cavioni¹  Carmel Cefai²  Stephen N. Elliott³  Christopher Anthony⁴  Veronica Ornaghi⁵  Alessandro Pepe⁵  Elisabetta Conte⁵  Ilaria Grazzani⁵ 

[1] Department of Humanities, Literature, Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy;Department of Psychology, University of Malta, Msida, Malta;Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States;School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States;“R. Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy;

关键词: social skills improvement system SEL brief scales;    social and emotional learning;    measurement invariance;    gender invariance;    children;    adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1229653

 received in 2023-05-26, accepted in 2023-09-20,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionDespite increasing interest in measuring social and emotional learning (SEL), there is a lack of European-validated tools for assessing the efficacy of SEL programs. The aim of this study was to validate an Italian version of the social skills improvement system (SSIS) SEL brief scales–student form.MethodsParticipants were 1,175 students (mean age: 11.02 years; SD: 2.42; range: 8–16 years; males: 46.8%) recruited at schools in Northern Italy.Statistical analyses and resultsInitial confirmatory factor analysis encountered a series of challenges, implying non-convergence of the original five-factor measurement model (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) based on the Collaborative on Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) competency framework established with students in the United States. Further exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a four-factor model that remained partially invariant across gender groups. The Italian version of the SSIS SEL brief scales was thus shown to be an efficient measurement tool for estimating social and emotional learning in students.DiscussionWe discuss the implications of findings in relation to selecting valid and reliable instruments for assessing children’s and adolescents’ SEL competencies, while considering the culturally-situated nature of the constructs under study.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Cavioni, Conte, Grazzani, Ornaghi, Cefai, Anthony, Elliott and Pepe.