| Summary: | In the current study, we sought to understand relations among the key intervention targets
of social-emotional and character development (SECD) interventions: character virtues,
Positive Purpose, and social-emotional learning (SEL). Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade
students (n = 1011, ages 11 to 16, M = 12.94, SD = 1.00) from five urban middle schools
in the mid-Atlantic US completed self-report surveys containing measures of five
supporting character virtues (diligence, gratitude, forgiveness, future-mindedness, and
generosity) and Positive Purpose. Teachers rated students’ social-emotional strengths.
Hierarchical regressions found a constellation of five character virtues was associated
with Purpose and SEL, thereby providing empirical support for the framework for SECD
interventions. Exploratory analyses found higher student-reported virtues were
associated with a steeper increase in teacher ratings of SEL for males and White students,
compared to female students and students of color. The current study contributes to both
SEL and character education research by demonstrating positive associations among
SEL, character, and Positive Purpose in the context of mid-Atlantic US urban middle
schools. Future directions for research include examining how these SECD intervention
targets and relations among them develop over time, the ability of SECD interventions to
cultivate these skills and virtues, and how differences in teacher ratings by student
race/ethnicity and sex may occur.
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