Cultural Adaptations to Social–Emotional Learning Programs: A Systematic Review

Social–emotional learning (SEL) programs offer critical opportunities to promote the development of students’ social and emotional competence and well-being. Yet, the landscape of how adaptations are being made to effectively serve all students is unknown. This systematic review examined cultural adaptations to SEL programs and the extent to which they were associated with positive outcomes. Included studies were (a) peer-reviewed empirical studies or dissertations; (b) conducted in PreKindergarten through 12th grade school settings in the United States; (c) available in English; and (d) included a cultural adaptation to an SEL program. Five electronic databases were searched in January 2023. Included articles were coded to extract information regarding the types, purposes, and associations with student outcomes and cultural adaptations to SEL programs have. A total of 11 studies (eight published studies and three dissertations), including 5,173 students, met the inclusion criteria. Results demonstrated most studies used surface- and deep-level adaptations for adapting SEL programs to a specific racial/ethnic group and/or a geographical region. In general, there were mixed results in terms of effectiveness when examining effect sizes and other statistical analyses of the adaptations on student outcomes. However, most studies found high acceptability and/or feasibility in relation to the adaptations. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.