Promoting social and emotional learning in K-12 students through digital-based interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Digital-based interventions that promote students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) development have expanded, but their effectiveness and impact remain debated. This study aimed to estimate effects of digital-based interventions on three SEL outcomes: social emotional skills (SES), affect and attitudes (AA), and prosocial and antisocial behaviors (PB), and to examine moderators, including social impairment status, school level, device type, intervention duration, study design, intervention gamification design features, control condition, reporter type, and setting of the intervention. METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Web of Science, ASSIA, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, and ERIC through August 1, 2025, and IEEE Xplore and ACM Digital Library through January 5, 2026; included experimental and quasi-experimental studies; used random-effects models (Hedges’ g); assessed heterogeneity using Q and I²; and evaluated publication bias using Egger’s test and the trim-and-fill method. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies (N = 4742) were included. In the primary meta-analysis, digital-based interventions showed positive effects across all three outcomes: SES (SMD = 0.631, 95% CI: 0.461 to 0.800), AA (SMD = 0.267, 95% CI: 0.087 to 0.448), and PB (SMD = 0.285, 95% CI: 0.106 to 0.465). After trim-and-fill, SES (trim-and-fill SMD = 0.369) and PB (trim-and-fill SMD = 0.353) remained significant, whereas AA became non-significant (trim-and-fill SMD = 0.078). In…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 4,742 participants or records.
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