Perceptions and impacts of the Happy Program on socio-emotional competencies: a mixed-methods study in primary education

Abstract

Introduction: The "Happy Program" implemented by AMCO across various schools in Latin America has been the subject of a mixed-methods study assessing its impact on the socio-emotional competencies of primary school students. The study focuses on the perceptions of both teachers and students, integrating quantitative and qualitative techniques for a comprehensive evaluation. Methods: Mixed-methods design to thoroughly assess the impacts of the Happy Program on socio-emotional competencies among primary school students. This design incorporates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a multi-dimensional understanding of the program’s effects. Teacher’s study, this segment involves a survey distributed to 57 teachers, designed to capture their perceptions before and after the implementation of the Happy Program. The survey measures changes in their views on students' socio-emotional skills and the overall classroom environment. Teachers are asked to rate the program’s influence on student behavior and emotional management, and to comment on areas for improvement, such as activity variety and family engagement. Parallel to the teacher survey, a larger scale study surveys 1,526 students. This study aims to gather direct feedback from the students about their experiences with the Happy Program. Students respond to questions about their emotional understanding, how they manage emotions, and their interactions with peers and family members as influenced by the program. This data is crucial for measuring the perceived effectiveness of the program from the students’ perspective. Findings/Results: Teachers reported a generally positive impact of the program on students, noting enhancements in key skills such as self-regulation and empathy. However, they also identified areas for improvement, such as activity diversification and greater family engagement. The results detail an increase in emotional understanding and management skills among students, with 76% of teachers observing significant improvements in these areas following the program's implementation.