Emotion self-regulation: A mixed-methods intervention study of sociemotional and reading outcomes of high school students with reading difficulties

Abstract

Employing multiple methods, including a comparison group pre/posttest design and student interviews and self-reflections, this study represents an initial attempt to investigate the efficacy of a social and emotional learning self-regulation strategy relative to the general reading ability, reading self-concept, and social and emotional well-being of adolescents, with and without disabilities, enrolled in a reading course in urban high schools. This intervention was based on psychophysiological theory accounting for cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processes, including physical systems, involved in learning and performance. The instructional features of this intervention integrate the foundational elements shown to improve outcomes for adolescents who struggle with reading. The results of this study suggest that students with reading difficulties can self-generate a positive emotion refocusing self-regulation strategy associated with achieving a highly coherent state, optimal for learning and performance.