Taking Stock of Programs to Develop Socioemotional Skills: A Systematic Review of Program Evidence
Possessing a range of cognitive, socioemotional, and technical skills is important for individuals to maximize their chances of success in many aspects of life. In particular, a growing body of research highlights the effects that socioemotional skills have on a variety of outcomes, from wages and academic performance to health. Programs to help participants develop such skills continue to expand in both high-income and lower-income countries, targeting individuals of almost all ages and life stages. Socioemotional skills development is embedded in programs as diverse as early-childhood nutrition programs for adolescent mothers, K–12 academic curricula, and workforce training programs for vulnerable adults.
However, the characteristics that make some programs more successful than others—or even what types of outcomes programs use to measure “success”—are less clear in the literature. This analysis seeks to fill this knowledge gap through a systemic review of socioemotional skills development programs. It uses a new conceptual framework to examine diverse programs that have been rigorously evaluated to answer the following research questions:
- What is the existing landscape of socioemotional skills development programs?
- How do these programs measure success?
- What do we know about programs that work?