Page 185 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 185
e of school (Zins and Ellias, 2006). Schools are especially suitable for this 185
type of learning as they encompass the majority of students, without addition-
ally exposing individuals who have more problems (Masten and Motti-Stefa-
nidi, 2009). Here the programme is administered to students who would oth-
erwise not seek professional treatment, although they may need it. Several
studies (Ferguson, Horwood and Lynskey, 1993; Ping, Hoven, Bird, Moore, Co-
hen, Alegria, Dulcan … Roper, 1999, both in Mifsud and Rapee, 2005) have in
particular pointed out that anxiety is overlooked and that students with this
sort of disorder are only rarely treated professionally. This applies especially to
students with a lower socioeconomic status (Mifsud and Rapee, 2005). Anoth-
er advantage of these programmes is that on account of group handling and
inclusion of the entire group within a class, no stigmatisation occurs of those
students who might need help. The advantage of the universal approach is in
capturing larger groups of students in their own school environment.
As part of a meta-analysis of 165 studies, Wilson, Gottfredson and Najaka
(2001) compared the efficacy of various school prevention programmes from
the field of social and emotional learning. They have established that social
and emotional learning programmes increase students’ presence at school
and reduce the likelihood of dropouts. Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg and Wal-
berg (2004) have defined the qualities of good social and emotional learning
programmes that foster academic achievement. These qualities include a the-
oretical basis and empirically proven efficacy; learning emotional and social
skills useful in everyday life; orientation towards emotional and social compo-
nents of learning; control, integration, unity of the programme in relation to
academic achievement; added instructions for efficient learning of emotional
and social skills; participation of parents and the wider environment; presence
of sustainable development, evaluations and result dissemination.
The FRIENDS Programme
Findings of numerous studies, both from the clinical and non-clinical field,
resulted in the development of a number of different approaches and pro-
grammes for fostering students’ emotional and social skills (Greenberg et
al., 2003). One of the programmes that has proven to be very effective is the
FRIENDS programme (Barrett, 2005). This is a prevention programme that effi-
ciently reduces anxiety and depression in children, adolescents and adults on
the basis of social and emotional learning. It is intended for all children, ado-
lescents and adults, regardless of their anxiety levels. It is focused on providing
children and adults with the emotional and social skills needed in their daily
lives and when coping with negative events to which they have already been
exposed, or will be in future. The programme aids children, adolescents and
fostering social and emotional learning as means of achieving better-quality knowledge
type of learning as they encompass the majority of students, without addition-
ally exposing individuals who have more problems (Masten and Motti-Stefa-
nidi, 2009). Here the programme is administered to students who would oth-
erwise not seek professional treatment, although they may need it. Several
studies (Ferguson, Horwood and Lynskey, 1993; Ping, Hoven, Bird, Moore, Co-
hen, Alegria, Dulcan … Roper, 1999, both in Mifsud and Rapee, 2005) have in
particular pointed out that anxiety is overlooked and that students with this
sort of disorder are only rarely treated professionally. This applies especially to
students with a lower socioeconomic status (Mifsud and Rapee, 2005). Anoth-
er advantage of these programmes is that on account of group handling and
inclusion of the entire group within a class, no stigmatisation occurs of those
students who might need help. The advantage of the universal approach is in
capturing larger groups of students in their own school environment.
As part of a meta-analysis of 165 studies, Wilson, Gottfredson and Najaka
(2001) compared the efficacy of various school prevention programmes from
the field of social and emotional learning. They have established that social
and emotional learning programmes increase students’ presence at school
and reduce the likelihood of dropouts. Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg and Wal-
berg (2004) have defined the qualities of good social and emotional learning
programmes that foster academic achievement. These qualities include a the-
oretical basis and empirically proven efficacy; learning emotional and social
skills useful in everyday life; orientation towards emotional and social compo-
nents of learning; control, integration, unity of the programme in relation to
academic achievement; added instructions for efficient learning of emotional
and social skills; participation of parents and the wider environment; presence
of sustainable development, evaluations and result dissemination.
The FRIENDS Programme
Findings of numerous studies, both from the clinical and non-clinical field,
resulted in the development of a number of different approaches and pro-
grammes for fostering students’ emotional and social skills (Greenberg et
al., 2003). One of the programmes that has proven to be very effective is the
FRIENDS programme (Barrett, 2005). This is a prevention programme that effi-
ciently reduces anxiety and depression in children, adolescents and adults on
the basis of social and emotional learning. It is intended for all children, ado-
lescents and adults, regardless of their anxiety levels. It is focused on providing
children and adults with the emotional and social skills needed in their daily
lives and when coping with negative events to which they have already been
exposed, or will be in future. The programme aids children, adolescents and
fostering social and emotional learning as means of achieving better-quality knowledge
