Emotional Peer Support Interventions for Students With SEND: A Systematic Review
Emotional peer support systems have benefits for student-student relationships and allow for children and adolescents’ participation in schools. For students with specific educational needs and disabilities (SEND), positive relationships seem to be more difficult to attain and these students are mor...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) |
| Repositorio: | udiMundus. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad a Distancia de Madrid |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:udimundus.udima.es:20.500.12226/1086 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12226/1086 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797913 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Peer support SEND School ethos Student participation Peer interaction Emotional support |
| Sumario: | Emotional peer support systems have benefits for student-student relationships and allow for children and adolescents’ participation in schools. For students with specific educational needs and disabilities (SEND), positive relationships seem to be more difficult to attain and these students are more vulnerable to suffer negative peer experiences such as bullying and social exclusion. Systems in which peers can show helpful behavior are beneficial for schools in order to create a positive, supportive climate. Emotional peer support entails social interaction through emotional or practical help based on what these peers have in common and many times with benefits for both. This systematic review identified interventions of emotional peer support in schools for students with SEND. Twenty-three studies were identified that involved four types of befriending: circle of friends, peer buddying, peer networks, and social lunch clubs. Studies reported mainly positive outcomes for both focus students and peer supporters in terms of increased social interaction and social acceptance, as well as enhanced self-esteem and empathy on the individual level. Further bonding of the students by friendship was also perceived, but more precise data is required to draw further conclusions. Support by the school as an institution, the specific role of the teacher, and family participation are important factors related to the impact of peer support systems. Information on these aspects was scarce, and it is recommended to include variables of this nature in future research. Intervention descriptions revealed students’ active participation through suggestions for activities, however their involvement in organizing the systems was limited. More research is needed to learn about the opportunities of emotional peer support to improve student-student relationships including the active involvement of the peers themselves in this support. |
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