A mode comparison study about the effect of tracing on children's poem learning in actual classroom contexts.

Social and emotional skills promote current and future mental health and well‐being among children and adolescents (Goodman et al., ). In England, the Partnership for Children has introduced ‘Passport Skills for Life’ (hereafter ‘Passport’) (Partnership for Children, ), a social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention, into over 100 schools so far, highlighting its theoretical premise and emerging evidence base (Mishara & Dufour, ). However, there is no independent efficacy evidence, and in our randomized controlled trial (RCT), we have been determining whether Passport could reduce internalizing symptoms (primary outcome) and related outcomes compared to usual practice (control). This trial included an implementation and process evaluation examining the experiences and perceptions of school staff and children in delivering and engaging with the intervention. Qualitative methods have been generally underutilized in this area, particularly across different groups involved in the process (Durlak & DuPre, ; Rojas‐Andrade & Bahamondes, ), yet offer critical insight into dynamic processes within implementation and are crucial to understanding programme success or failure (Greenberg et al., ; Nilsen, ). Emotional competence refers to two broad skills, namely the ability to (1) understand, express and regulate one's own emotions and (2) understand others' emotions. Social competence is the ability to interact with others effectively and in a prosocial manner (Bergin et al., ). Social and emotional learning (SEL) refers to the process through which children develop social and emotional competence: through SEL, children and youth acquire and learn to effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions (Weissberg et al., ). Schools are well placed for teaching SEL because they can provide learning environments that are safe, caring, well managed and participatory (Humphrey, ), and they have wide reach, a prolonged period of engagement and a central role in communities (Greenberg & Abenavoli, ). Universal school‐based interventions target all children regardless of level of difficulties or risk, which makes them non‐stigmatizing; they also have the potential to prevent or reduce problems predicted by shared or common risk factors, or disorders that will develop later in life, but are not manifested in childhood (Greenberg & Abenavoli, ).