Peer-reviewed article
Pathways to wellness: A holistic approach to support indigenous and non-indigenous children's social and emotional well-being.
Sun J, Goforth AN, Kusumaningsih S, Brooke E, Violante A et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated Pathways to Wellness, a social-emotional learning program developed with an Indigenous community, implemented in Grades 3-6 at a tribal school in the United States over two academic years. The program aimed to support Indigenous and non-Indigenous children's social-emotional well-being using a holistic approach. While qualitative findings showed children developed cultural identity and learned coping skills, quantitative measures indicated children reported worsening classroom climate, lower belonging, and reduced well-being after the program, particularly in Year 2. The study highlights how broader ecological context influences program outcomes.
Key points
- Qualitative findings showed cultural representation in the program helped children develop awakened cultural identity and enhanced knowledge of well-being and coping strategies
- Quantitative results showed negative posttest outcomes: children reported more negative classroom climate, lower sense of belonging, more emotional problems, and lower resilience and well-being compared to pretest
- Older girls reported the lowest scores on average across social-emotional outcomes
- The program was codeveloped with an Indigenous community using a two-eyed seeing approach
- Incongruence between quantitative and qualitative findings suggests broader ecological context impacts program effectiveness
Limitations
The study does not include a comparison group, making it impossible to determine whether observed changes were due to the program or other contextual factors. The document does not clarify what external ecological stressors (such as the COVID-19 pandemic timing or school environment changes) may have influenced the contradictory quantitative findings.
Abstract
Objectives This study aimed to understand how Pathways to Wellness, a social-emotional learning program codeveloped with an Indigenous community, impacted children's social-emotional well-being. A holistic approach to child well-being is critical for Indigenous children but often lacking in schools. Method With two-eyed seeing and a cross-sequential and convergent mixed methods design, this study examined children's experiences and outcomes participating in Pathways to Wellness during academic years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 when the program was implemented in Grades 3-6 in a public school in a tribal nation. In Year 1, a total of 67 children participated (Mage = 10.3; 46% girls; 73% Indigenous); in Year 2, a total of 63 children participated (Mage = 10.17; 42% girls; 81% Indigenous), for a total sample of 96 children across the 2 years. Results Quantitative findings showed that children reported more negative classroom climate, lower sense of belonging, more emotional problems, and lower resilience and well-being in the posttest than pretest, particularly in Year 2. Older girls reported the lowest scores on average in social-emotional outcomes. The qualitative results showed three themes: cultural representation in the social-emotional learning program and children's awakened cultural identity, children's enhanced knowledge of well-being and coping, and developmental differences in reactions to the program. Conclusions This study showcased a holistic approach that draws on the strengths of the community to support the well-being of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. The incongruence between some of the quantitative and qualitative findings illustrated the importance to consider the impact of the broader ecological context in implementing and evaluating such programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Pathways to Wellness, a social-emotional learning program codeveloped with an Indigenous community, integrated cultural strengths and holistic approaches to support children's social-emotional well-being
- Population
- Children in Grades 3-6 (ages approximately 8-12) in a tribal nation public school; 67 children in Year 1 (73% Indigenous, 46% girls) and 63 children in Year 2 (81% Indigenous, 42% girls)
Key finding
Qualitative findings identified three positive themes: cultural representation awakened children's cultural identity, children gained enhanced knowledge of well-being and coping strategies, and developmental differences emerged in how children reacted to the program