Building Positive Connections: a Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) experience to help young adults strengthen communication skills and enhance interpersonal relationships

Research suggests that high-quality social connections are important for a variety of reasons from a greater sense of belonging at school or work to positive health outcomes, yet a deficit in social skills and social disconnection amongst young adults have become major concerns for public health and the modern workforce. This project was designed to address a lack of confidence and underdeveloped relationship skills in young adults, ages 18 - 23. The module introduced participants to different relationship dynamics and focused on developing empathetic listening skills to strengthen human connections. Design and development of instruction were guided by the ADDIE framework, Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction, and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory.

Instruction was delivered in a blended learning environment and evaluated by participants (n= 16) using usability and pre/post testing as well as peer-to-peer ratings of a live activity and open-ended reflection questions. Usability comments were primarily positive and several suggestions were made to inform design revisions. Pre/post learning effectiveness results showed a 9% improvement in scores and peer-to-peer ratings averaged 19.3 out of 20 possible points. Qualitative data gathered from reflection questions indicated that participants had a positive social experience, noting feelings of deeper understanding and connection during partner practice. Results also suggest a slight increase in confidence related to social and listening skills as well as high levels of motivation to continue using communication strategies post instruction.