Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources
Through our Social Emotional Learning and Well-being research projects, the Learning Lab has developed a suite of social emotional learning (SEL) programs, resources, and publications.
The KooLKIDS and Mindfields programs have been developed over years of research and based on the most robust theoretical and evidence-based frameworks and span the course of childhood and adolescent development.
Our programs and resources aim to support students, teachers, and school communities to:
- ‘grow and go’,
- feel confident in delivering SEL materials,
- focus on growing their own SEL practices, and
- go forward with SEL confidently, embedding it as a core part of the school curriculum and community.
KooLKIDS is a school-based social and emotional learning program for primary school students aged 8 to 11 years, that empowers children to live well with themselves and others.
Researchers at The University of Queensland and The University of Western Australia collaborated to develop KooLKIDS as a result of 18 years of research to produce a program designed for ease of use by facilitators and to be fun and engaging for students. Many educators and students have successfully completed the KooLKIDS program and have found it enjoyable and empowering.
Mindfields is a suite of social and emotional learning programs for high school students. With both Junior (Years 7-9) and Senior (Years 10-12) programs available, Mindfields encompasses the full scope of adolescent development. It encompasses a strengths-based approach to student wellbeing that targets schoolwide practices, teacher and student education.
Developed at The University of Queensland through years of research, Mindfields uses evidence-based activities and innovative resources to engage students and explicitly teach the skills to understand and manage the self in relation to others.
Lynn, Sasha and Carroll, Annemaree (2023, 04 04).
Gamification in classroom-based, universal Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions American Educational Research Association Social Emotional Learning Special Interest Group
Explore gamification to embed and deliver social and emotional learning interventions in the classroom.
Kirby, James N., Sherwell, Chase, Lynn, Sasha and Moloney-Gibb, Dylan (2023).
Compassion as a framework for creating individual and group-level wellbeing in the classroom: new directions. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 33 (1), 2-12. doi: 10.1017/jgc.2023.5
Discover how using compassion as a motivational framework can create a positive classroom environment that supports the wellbeing of both students and staff.
Lynn, Sasha, Osika, Alexandra and Carroll, Annemaree (2022, 07 08).
Make social-emotional learning part of teaching: it’s easier than you think THE Campus
Make social-emotional learning part of teaching centres on social-emotional learning and provides guidance on how to incorporate social-emotional learning into everyday educational practice.
Carroll, Annemaree and Bower, Julie (2021).
Innovative approaches to measure and promote emotion regulation in the classroom from a science of learning perspective. Learning under the lens: applying findings from the science of learning to the classroom. (pp. 93-111) edited by Annemaree Carroll, Ross Cunnington and Annita Nugent. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429027833-7
This chapter reports on research using novel and neural data collection methods to identify emotional states that may enhance or impede student learning. It also examines the efficacy of specific emotion regulation interventions for both teachers and students.
Carroll, Annemaree, McCarthy, Molly, Houghton, Stephen and Sanders O'Connor, Emma (2020).
Evaluating the effectiveness of KooLKIDS: An interactive social emotional learning program for Australian primary school children. Psychology in the Schools, 57 (6) pits.22352, 851-867. doi: 10.1002/pits.22352
Discover how a teacher-led program called KooLKIDS, using interactive multimedia and animated characters, positively impacts children's social and emotional skills, reducing problems and enhancing learning in a classroom setting.
Carroll, Annemaree, Houghton, Stephen, Forrest, Kylee, McCarthy, Molly and Sanders-O’Connor, Emma (2020).
Who benefits most? Predicting the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning intervention according to children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. School Psychology International, 41 (3), 014303431989874-217. doi: 10.1177/0143034319898741
Explore how a school-based KoolKIDS program enhances social and emotional well-being in students, especially those with emotional and behavioral difficulties, shedding light on program effectiveness for different children.
Carroll, Annemaree, McCarthy, Molly, Houghton, Stephen, Sanders O'Connor, Emma and Zadow, Corinne (2018).
Reactive and proactive aggression as meaningful distinctions at the variable and person level in primary school-aged children. Aggressive Behavior, 44 (5), 431-441. doi: 10.1002/ab.21763
Read how aggression in children can be categorised into reactive and proactive types, revealing distinct traits and implications for interventions based on a comprehensive study of primary school-aged children.
Houghton, Stephen, Carroll, Annemaree, Zadow, Corinne, Sanders O’Connor, Emma , Hattie, John and Lynn, Sasha (2017).
Treating children with early-onset conduct problems and callous–unemotional traits: an empirical evaluation of KooLKIDS. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 22 (4), 350-364. doi: 10.1080/13632752.2017.1301646
Discover how KooLKIDS shows promise in reducing aggression and antisocial traits in children with early-onset conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits, potentially preventing further antisocial behaviour.
Carroll, Annemaree, Bower, Julie M., Ashman, Adrian F. and Lynn, Sasha (2017).
Early secondary high school: a Mindfield® for social and emotional learning. Social and emotional learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific: perspectives, programs and approaches. (pp. 335-352) edited by Erica Frydenberg, Andrew J. Martin and Rebecca J. Collie. Gateway East, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-3394-0_18
This chapter documents the challenges of implementing the Mindfields® High School Junior Program (HSJ) social and emotional learning program in a large high school.
Carroll, Annemaree, Sanders O'Connor, Emma, Houghton, Stephen J., Hattie, John A., Donovan, Caroline and Lynn, Sasha (2016).
A preliminary empirical evaluation of KooLKIDS: a school-based program to reduce early onset antisocial behavior in children. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 42 (1), 1-14. doi: 10.3109/13668250.2016.1190004
Explore the promising findings of a preliminary evaluation of KooLKIDS showing significant reductions in aggression and improved emotional outcomes for young children with early onset antisocial behaviour.