Feeling Explorers Research
The Feeling Explorers Program is a Social and Emotional Learning program that champions children’s mental wellness through the delivery of 10 play-based, skill-building sessions delivered in grade 1 to 3 school classrooms. With each session, children develop competencies that support:
- self-awareness
- self-regulation
- decision making
- relationship building
- responsible decision making
The lessons are scaffolded, beginning with the principles of effective listening, and evolving into learning about and coping with feelings, body signals, thoughts, empathy, and how to get along with each other. The lessons learned in each session extend far beyond the hours of the program, and are practiced in the classroom, in the playground, and in the home environments.
Feeling Explorers is geared towards elementary students in grades 1, 2, and 3, and is directly linked to the Ontario mental health curriculum. Set in a Canadian context, age-appropriate characters are introduced that share their diverse backgrounds and guide the children through each lesson. The characters learn and practice new skills alongside the children and inspire the children to take an active role in their learning with each activity.
Feeling Explorers Research
The Feeling Explorers Project is a 10-week program that was delivered in 15 classrooms across the TCDSB and TDSB during the 2023-2024 school year. The project aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the program in classroom settings and understand its impact on students’ social-emotional development. A total of 132 students, along with their parents/caregivers and teachers, participated in the research by completing various measures before and after the program.
The research yielded positive results, indicating that the Feeling Explorers program was a valuable addition to the classrooms. Key findings include:
- Statistically significant improvements in several scales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) survey, including emotional problems, hyperactivity, prosocial behaviours, total score, and impact score.
- 84% of parents/caregivers found the program helpful in some capacity.
- Significant improvements in scores on the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) surveys for both the overall population of students and a smaller sample of high-risk students.
- 100% of teachers found the program helpful and reported using the strategies multiple times a week or more.
- 47% of parents/caregivers reported improvements in their children’s difficulties following the program.
- 66% of students felt that people in their class knew them better, and 57% felt more accepted by their classmates.
- 69% of students felt more supported by their classmates, and 70% felt more understood by their teachers.
- 82% of students reported feeling like they could go to someone they trust in the classroom if they were feeling upset.
Overall, students and teachers were happy to receive the program, enjoyed the learning experience, and continued using the tools and strategies provided inside and outside the classroom.
If you are interested in learning more about this research, look out for updates by signing up for our Institute Newsletter here. If you are interested in learning more about the structure of the Feeling Explorers program, click here to download an information flyer. If you are interested in implementing Feeling Explorers in your school or classroom, please email feelingexplorers@georgehull.on.ca.
Parents and Caregivers Love Feeling Explorers!
Skills children learn through Feeling Explorers are helpful in group settings and family life! Here are just a few of the positive comments that reflect feedback parents and caregivers have on Feeling Explorers.
I found this program very helpful to understand ways to help my child manage his feelings. This program also provided my child with ways to explain himself and gave me confidence to work through situations. I highly recommend this program.
Words cannot explain how much I've benefited. Seeing my daughter put the strategies learned into practice is like a dream come true and then being able to break it down and being supported throughout has made the experience so much better. I wish it would go on forever 🙂
My daughter is able to better express herself and actually puts into practice the strategies learned. Our communication has improved and her communication with peers has also started to show signs of progress. I think it has been so valuable to be in the group setting where she can feel like she is not alone with the challenges she faces.
Stay in Touch and Learn More
If you are interested updates about Feeling Explorers, as well as the Institute’s other initiatives and training, sign up for the Institute Newsletter. If you are interested in learning more about the structure of the Feeling Explorers program, click here to download an information flyer. If you are interested in implementing Feeling Explorers in your school or classroom, please email feelingexplorers@georgehull.on.ca.