Adolescent Development
Conditions
Keywords
Social and Emotional Learning, Adolescents, Self-Regulation, Emotional Intelligence, Academic Motivation, Perceived Stress, Academic Achievement, Digital Intervention
Brief summary
This study evaluated the Who Are You (WAY) program, a 10-week online social and emotional learning program designed for adolescents. The program aims to help young people better understand and manage emotions, regulate their behavior, stay motivated in learning, cope with stress, and develop goal-directed skills. A total of 120 adolescents took part in the study, including 60 middle-school students and 60 high-school students. Within each educational group, participants were randomly assigned either to the WAY program or to a waitlist group that continued with their usual education. The WAY program combined weekly one-to-one online sessions with structured independent learning activities. Participants completed assessments before and after the 10-week period. The main outcomes were self-regulation, emotional intelligence, academic motivation, and perceived stress. Academic achievement was also assessed as a secondary educational outcome. The study tested the hypothesis that adolescents assigned to the WAY program would show greater improvement in social-emotional functioning than adolescents assigned to the waitlist condition.
Detailed description
This was a two-arm, parallel-group, assessor-blinded, waitlist-controlled randomized trial conducted with two developmentally distinct educational cohorts in Türkiye. Middle-school and high-school participants were randomized separately within cohort in a 1:1 ratio to either the WAY intervention or a waitlist control condition. WAY was a manualized, digitally supported social and emotional learning intervention delivered over 10 consecutive weeks. Each weekly module included an individual synchronous online session supplemented by structured asynchronous activities. The program addressed self-awareness, emotional understanding and regulation, academic motivation, goal setting, planning, self-monitoring, stress management, adaptive coping, empathy, communication, and maintenance of acquired skills. Participants in the waitlist condition continued their usual education during the evaluation period and were offered access to the WAY program after completion of post-intervention assessments. Baseline assessments were completed before randomization, and post-intervention assessments were administered within one week after completion of the intervention period. The four prespecified primary outcome domains were self-regulation, trait emotional intelligence, academic motivation, and perceived stress. Academic achievement was prespecified as a secondary educational outcome. Outcomes were evaluated separately within the middle-school and high-school cohorts. The trial was completed before registration on ClinicalTrials.gov and is therefore being registered retrospectively.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWho Are You (WAY) Social and Emotional Learning Program
WAY is a manualized, digitally supported social and emotional learning program designed for adolescents. It was delivered individually over 10 consecutive weeks. Each weekly module combined a synchronous online session with structured asynchronous activities. The program addressed self-awareness, emotional understanding and regulation, academic motivation, goal setting, planning, self-monitoring, stress management, adaptive coping, empathy, communication, collaborative problem solving, and maintenance of acquired skills. Sessions used guided discussion, reflective questioning, experiential activities, structured exercises, individualized reflection, and goal setting.
Sponsors
Melih Dikmen
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Participants and intervention facilitators were aware of treatment allocation due to the nature of the intervention. Post-intervention outcome assessments were conducted by an assessor who was not involved in intervention delivery and did not have access to the allocation files. Participants were instructed not to disclose their assigned condition during assessment.
Intervention model description
Participants were enrolled in two developmentally distinct cohorts (middle school and high school) and randomized separately within each cohort in a 1:1 ratio to the WAY intervention or waitlist control. Both study arms were followed in parallel from baseline to post-intervention assessment.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
10 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Enrollment in Grades 5-12. * Sufficient proficiency in Turkish to understand the program content and complete the study measures. * Reliable internet access and access to an appropriate digital device for participation in the online program. * Ability to engage with the program and complete the study measures independently, with reasonable support where required. * Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian and written assent from the adolescent.
Exclusion criteria
* Concurrent participation in another structured social and emotional learning program. * A cognitive, sensory, linguistic, or functional difficulty that prevented meaningful participation or independent completion of the study measures despite reasonable accommodations. * An acute psychological crisis or serious risk requiring immediate professional assessment or clinical support. * Failure to complete the baseline assessment or withdrawal before randomization.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change From Baseline in Perceived Self-Regulation Scale Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Self-regulation in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 16-item Perceived Self-Regulation Scale. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Total scores are calculated by summing item responses, with higher scores indicating greater perceived self-regulatory capacity. |
| Change From Baseline in Self-Regulation Scale for Adolescents Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Self-regulation in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 11-item Self-Regulation Scale for Adolescents. The scale assesses goal setting, planning, monitoring, emotional awareness, and behavioral control using a 5-point response format. Higher total scores indicate greater self-regulatory competence. |
| Change From Baseline in Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Trait emotional intelligence was assessed in both cohorts using the 15-item Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF). Items are rated on a 7-point scale. Negatively worded items are reverse scored, and higher total scores indicate greater perceived emotional competence. |
| Change From Baseline in Academic Motivation Scale Score in Middle-School Studen | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Academic motivation in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 28-item Turkish adaptation of the Academic Motivation Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale. Total scores are calculated after appropriate reverse scoring, with higher scores indicating stronger academic motivation. |
| Change From Baseline in Academic Motivation Scale Score in High-School Students | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Academic motivation in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 22-item Turkish Academic Motivation Scale. Items assess intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation and are rated on a 7-point scale. Higher total scores indicate stronger academic motivation after appropriate reverse scoring. |
| Change From Baseline in Perceived Stress Scale for Children Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Perceived stress in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 9-item Perceived Stress Scale for Children. Items are rated on a 4-point frequency scale. Total scores are calculated by summing item responses, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. |
| Change From Baseline in Perceived Stress Scale | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Perceived stress in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Items are rated from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very often). Positively worded items are reverse scored before calculating the total score, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change From Baseline in Middle School Academic Achievement Test Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Academic achievement in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 75-item Middle School Academic Achievement Test (MS-AAT), covering Turkish language, social studies, mathematics, and science. Items are scored 1 for a correct response and 0 for an incorrect or omitted response, with higher total scores indicating greater academic achievement. |
| Change From Baseline in High School Academic Achievement Test Score | Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program | Academic achievement in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 80-item High School Academic Achievement Test (HS-AAT), covering curriculum-based academic domains. Items are scored 1 for a correct response and 0 for an incorrect or omitted response, with higher total scores indicating greater academic achievement. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed