826 National report: How writing supports social, emotional and mental health in students

We’re excited to share a new study released by our friends at 826 National , focusing on how writing positively impacts students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being. Take a look at their summary below, read the full report, and let us know what you think in the comments below. What questions does this bring up for you? Have you seen these findings play out in real life? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

While the world is currently moving into a post-pandemic era, young people are facing an unparallelled mental health crisis, as one in five children struggle with mental health challenges. In 2022, more than 40% of teens stated they struggled with feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more than half of caregivers stated they were concerned about their child’s mental health. This crisis is exacerbated by disparities in mental health across race and socioeconomic status. In this new report, inaugural 826 National Research Fellow Brianca Wright uses 826 as a case study to explore the efficacy of creating spaces for students to build their social and emotional competency through the impact of writing. This research was done in alignment with Brianca’s graduate work at George Washington University, bringing her expertise in social and emotional learning (SEL) as well as an outside lens on the work of 826.”

This report contributes key findings in two ways:

1) Provides external validation of what the 826 Network sees daily in their work with students—826 programming works. Key findings from the report:

• 826 programming supports students’ SEL skill building. When surveyed, overall, 93% of students agreed that 826 is a supportive environment. Within the 826 environment, students reported demonstrating key SEL competencies: self-management skills (93%), self-awareness (90%), social awareness (88%), and relationship-building skills (84%).?
• The more time students spend with 826 programming, the more they report demonstrating SEL skills. Students with high attendance reported significantly higher demonstration of SEL skills than students with low attendance.
• As a result of working with 826, students are better able to understand and articulate different perspectives through their writing, in turn building their self- and social awareness. In the writing assessment (AWC), Stance measures a student’s ability to communicate a clear perspective through their writing and the characters and elements portrayed in it. This skill relates to the SEL competencies of expression and empathy. Students showed a statistically significant gain of 5.3% on Stance scores from pre-test to post-test, thereby demonstrating improvement in those associated SEL skills.?

2) Contributes new insights on the development of SEL skills to the research field. While the importance of SEL is well-acknowledged in the education field, research on the development of these skills is fairly nascent. This research explores the developmental trajectory of SEL skills. Further, by looking at the data by demographic groups, the findings offer implications for SEL curriculum development to provide tailored support to those who are most at risk of struggling with mental health challenges. Key findings from the report:

• There are clear patterns to the development of social and emotional competencies. The results align with existing research that a supportive environment must come first in order for students to effectively build SEL skills. A new finding is that there is a sequence within SEL development. Specifically, that self-management skills such as being able to manage one’s stress and feel motivation to accomplish one’s goals develop before self- and social awareness skills such as understanding one’s strengths and understanding social norms.
• Black and Hispanic/Latinx students report they demonstrate SEL skills during 826 programming at a high level. Research has shown that students of color are at higher risk of mental health challenges due to socioeconomic disparities and inequities in access to care. The results here suggest that 826 and programs like it can be a protective factor to help mitigate mental health disparities based on race and socioeconomic status.
• Male students may need more support than female students to develop SEL skills. Female students report demonstrating almost all SEL survey items significantly more than male students.

Read the full report here.