Teachers’ view on the implementation and sustainability of a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum: a qualitative study

Teachers’ view on the implementation and sustainability of a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum: a qualitative study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Teachers’ view on the implementation and sustainability of a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum: a qualitative study Ophélie Courbet, Victoire Kalamarides, Marianne Habib, Thomas Villemonteix This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background : Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, such as the Kindness Curriculum, have shown positive effects on children's social and emotional competencies (SEC), mental health and executive functioning. However, the effectiveness of a program alone does not ensure its successful implementation and sustainability beyond the evaluation context. This study aims to qualitatively explore preschool teachers’ attitudes and experiences with the French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum, identifying key factors that are likely to affect its implementation and long-term sustainability. Methods : Seventeen French preschool teachers from a socio-economically disadvantaged area participated in semi-structured interviews at the end of the school year, after implementing a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum. Data were thematically analyzed, combining deductive and inductive approaches. Results : All teachers expressed appreciation for the program, citing its structure and content suitability, students’ appreciation and observed positive impacts on students’ SEC. However, challenges related to time constraints, classroom and students’ characteristics, teachers’ lack of mastery and support-related limitations sometimes hindered program implementation. Adaptations implemented by teachers were identified and strategies for long-term engagement were suggested. Conclusions : Despite the challenges encountered, teachers' overall positive reception of the program is encouraging for its long-term sustainability. The possibility for teachers to adapt the content, as well as the strengths and limitations of this study were discussed. Psychology Educational Psychology Social and emotional learning social and emotional competencies mental health children sustainability implementation teachers’ attitudes Introduction Early interventions such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs can be implemented in schools and have been shown to improve mental health and academic outcomes (Cipriano et al., 2023 ; Durlak et al., 2011 ). Social and Emotional Competencies (SEC) acquired in the first years of life lay the foundation for later, more developed competencies (Jones & Bouffard, 2012). The Kindness Curriculum is a SEL program designed for preschool children that includes mindfulness-based components (Flook et al., 2015 ). It focuses on improving self-awareness, self-management, and prosocial behaviors through structured activities such as reading, discussions, breathing exercises and games. Positive effects of this intervention on self-management, prosocial skills and executive functioning have been found in various contexts (Flook et al., 2015 ; Haines et al., 2023 ; Poehlmann-Tynan et al., 2016 ), but methodological weaknesses have limited the strength of these findings [Authors]. Recently, a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum supplemented with body-oriented activities and an emotion circle time conducted by trained preschool teachers, has been implemented in French preschools [Authors]. A quantitative evaluation of this intervention was conducted using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a large sample of 761 children and found positive effects on children's mental health and teacher-child relationships [Authors]. However, implementation varied significantly between classrooms [Authors]. Beyond assessing the efficacy of interventions, it is essential that SEL interventions are sustainable in the long run (Moore et al., 2017 ). Sustainability of interventions may depend on several key factors, such as the level of mastery of the program by school staff, students’ engagement, content modification and adaptation by teachers, and the observation of a positive impact on students' well-being (Herlitz et al., 2020 ; Moore et al., 2017 ). In practice, mindfulness-based interventions with young children are generally perceived as acceptable, feasible, and effective by both novice and experienced teachers (Bockmann & Yu, 2022 ). However, few studies have specifically examined teachers' perceptions, attitudes, and feelings toward the implementation and sustainability of SEL interventions in preschool. A qualitative study conducted with pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) to third-grade teachers in disadvantaged urban areas of the United States suggested that teachers feel responsible for teaching SEC to their students, viewing SEL as part of their role (Humphries et al., 2018 ). Another study identified key facilitators of SEL program sustainability in Latvia for first to twelfth grade teachers (Martinsone & Vilcina, 2017 ). These facilitators included supplementing the program with new content, ongoing training, support from school administration and staff, and lesson flexibility (Martinsone & Vilcina, 2017 ). Preschool and elementary teachers in various countries have also reported practical challenges, such as time constraints due to heavy workloads, which hinder program implementation (Humphries et al., 2018 ; Martínez, 2016 ; Martinsone & Vilcina, 2017 ). Beyond these logistical barriers, two studies involving teachers from preschool to secondary school have highlighted the need for additional training (Martínez, 2016 ; Schiepe-Tiska et al., 2021 ). While teachers expressed motivation to implement SEL interventions, they may report lacking confidence in their ability to teach SEC due to insufficient initial training on the topic (Schiepe-Tiska et al., 2021 ). This lack of confidence and knowledge may also impede effective program implementation. The situation for French teachers could be similar, as SEL is almost entirely absent from their initial teacher training. To our knowledge, no study to date has explored teachers’ attitudes and experiences regarding the Kindness Curriculum intervention. Thus, the aim of this study was to qualitatively explore teachers’ attitudes and experiences with the Kindness Curriculum, focusing on the factors that are likely to influence its implementation and sustainability: training and program appreciation, perceived impacts, adaptation and appropriation, perceived support for long-term engagement, and challenges encountered. Methods Participants and recruitment Participants were 17 preschool teachers; recruited from 15 schools located in a predominantly socio-economically disadvantaged area in France ( Seine-Saint-Denis department) during the 2022–2023 school year. Interviews were proposed to all teachers who had been trained to implement the program during this school year (n = 26). Proposals to participate were sent via email at the end of the school year by a principal investigator [Author 4] (June 2023); participation in the interview was not mandatory to receive the training and content of the program. The inclusion criteria for teachers were as follows: they had to be teaching in public schools at the Pre-K level or in a mixture of Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten level (corresponding to Moyenne section or to Petite and Moyenne and Grande Section in France). Teachers provided consent to participate in the interview, and participation was compensated with a 20 Euro gift-card. The final sample consisted of 17 teachers; 100% women; 65% teaching in education priority areas corresponding to the “ réseau d’éducation prioritaire ” in France; and 82% teaching Pre-K classes only. Intervention and data collection Teachers received a six-hour training in October 2022 provided by three investigators [Authors 1,2,3] to implement the French adaptation of the kindness curriculum along with body-oriented activities. The training included the presentation of each activity, role-playing, and a personal initiation to body-oriented exercises and mindfulness. Teachers received the required materials and detailed instruction manuals for each activity. Then, teachers had the opportunity to implement the program for 24 weeks. The program content has been described in detail previously [Author]. Individual interviews were subsequently conducted in June-July 2023, either face-to-face at the teacher’s school or via videoconference (Zoom™), depending on the participants’ preferences and availability. Each interview was conducted by a principal investigator [Author 1] or one of six experimenters trained to conduct semi-structured research interviews. The interviews were semi-structured, consisting of open-ended questions that allow teachers to freely express themselves on a broad theme, and follow-up prompts to clarify certain points and expand on their responses. The questions and prompts were asked in a flexible manner, following the flow of the conversation. Topics were developed a priori based on our research questions. Specifically, the interviews addressed points related to the appreciation of the training, of the program as a whole, and satisfaction with each activity (Kindness Curriculum and body-oriented activities) in particular; the challenges encountered; content adaptation and appropriation; potential impacts observed on pupils; and strategies they might use to continue implementing the program in future years. The list of questions and prompts is available in the Supplement (Suppl 1). At the beginning of the interview, teachers were informed of its purpose and of the themes that would be discussed. Average interview duration was 31.57 minutes (SD = 4.24). All interviews were audio-recorded (using an audio recorder or Zoom™), transcribed and anonymized. Data management and analysis The transcribed and anonymized interviews were entered into QDA Miner software (version 2024.0.4) (Provalis Research, 2024 ) for thematic analysis. The thematic analysis involved three investigators [Authors 1,2,3]. A hybrid approach inspired by the article by Mallawaarachchi et al. ( 2022 ) was used. Initially, a deductive method was employed: themes were predefined based on the broad categories of questions asked in the interview guide: 1) experience and satisfaction with the training; 2) appreciation of the program and observed impact on pupils; 3) adaptations and appropriation; 4) challenges encountered; and 5) support for long-term engagement. This provided a structure and guide for data extraction, aligned with our research questions. Then, an inductive method was followed to identify sub-themes within each theme, enriching the analysis. Due to thematic overlaps observed during the coding phases and the creation of subthemes, two initial themes were merged: "appreciation of the program" and "impact on pupils". Once the themes were defined, the following steps were followed for thematic data analysis: 1) familiarization with the data; 2) distribution of interviews for analysis among the three investigators; 3) individual preliminary reading of three interviews by each investigator; 4) coding of each verbatim; 5) classification of verbatims into the six predefined themes when relevant (or into an “other” category otherwise); 6) group discussions among the three investigators to validate the classification of verbatims into the predefined themes; 7) categorization of verbatims from all other interviews according to the same predefined themes and group consultations; 8) individual re-reading of the verbatims within a given theme; 9) creation of a matrix in Excel with each verbatim associated with its code and the corresponding teacher’s code; 10) creation of subthemes individually within each theme when verbatims were sufficiently numerous and diverse; and 11) group discussions around the created subthemes and potential adjustments to themes and subthemes. Data were analyzed in French. Interview quotes have been translated into English for illustrative purposes in the results section. Results Themes and subthemes are presented in Table 1 . Table 1 List of themes and sub-themes related to teachers’ experience with the program Experience and satisfaction with the training Appreciation of the program and observed impact General appreciation of the program Appreciation of the structure and content Students' appreciation Observed changes in students Adaptations and appropriation Challenges encountered Context-related challenges Student-related challenges Level of mastery and teacher’s discomfort Challenges related to teaching materials Support for long-term commitment Note. Themes and sub−themes were identified through thematic analysis of 17 semi−structured interviews conducted with volunteer teachers. Themes are in bold , sub−themes in italics . Experience and satisfaction with the training Among the 14 teachers who mentioned the training during the interview, 12 expressed positive and enthusiastic feedback regarding the training, highlighting its quality, clarity, practical focus, and the ease of implementing the activities. The training appeared to have a motivating effect on some teachers, enabling them to envision implementing the activities in their classrooms. "Amazing. It was great. It was interesting. No, it was awesome. It was a whole day, and even though at first I thought, ‘Wow, the whole Wednesday!’ But no, super interesting, really motivating, kind, and supportive. It was really, really nice." (Teacher 09) "It made you want to do it. You left feeling like you really wanted to implement it." (Teacher 14) However, two responses were mixed: one teacher considered that the training went "too fast" and was not sufficient to implement the program in her classroom. Another mentioned that the body-oriented activities could have been more thoroughly practiced. Appreciation of the program and observed impact All the teachers expressed enthusiasm and appreciation for the program at some point during the interviews. None of the teachers reported dissatisfaction or negative feelings toward the program as a whole. Three teachers mentioned that the program introduced them to new concepts and themes that are rarely addressed in class but are highly relevant for pupils at this age. "I think it’s a really, really great project that should be offered to all schools. Because, you know, we talk about emotions in preschool, but not in this much detail." (Teacher 06) A primary reason for the teachers' positive reception of the program was its structure and content. Specifically, seven teachers noted that the activities and materials used, both in the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities, were well-suited to their pupils’ developmental level. "That was great, and even the younger ones [Nursery level] were doing it, and it was good." (Teacher 07) Additionally, seven teachers highlighted the program’s construction and its progression. They appreciated the simplicity of the instructions, the variety of content, the smooth progression of ideas across the Kindness Curriculum, and the balance between the structured manual guidance and the freedom to choose exercises in the body-oriented activities. "The project was ready-to-use, and there was a progression that I found very coherent, so it fit together well. Plus, it was varied, you know, it wasn’t just books; it was diverse. For me, it was very practical." (Teacher 13) All 17 teachers mentioned different activities that their pupils responded positively to. Pupils' appreciation often resulted in them requesting these activities, both in the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities. "The kids loved [the well-being workshops], boys and girls alike. It worked really well, they liked it, and if I happened to skip it, they would ask for it." (Teacher 09) Teachers’ appreciation of the program was also connected to observed impacts on their pupils. The phrase "it worked well" appeared 15 times in the interview transcripts, describing how activities were successfully implemented, captured students' attention, or helped develop specific skills. Eight teachers observed that pupils seemed to understand and internalize key concepts from the activities, such as kindness, attentiveness, and breathing techniques, and some of them discussed the concepts with each other or practiced the exercises on their own. "They understood what it meant to be kind, or at least to pay attention to someone or something. It came from them, and I think it’s really linked to the readings and exercises like the [Kindness] garden, the seeds, etc. It worked well, and it’s definitely thanks to the program." (Teacher 07) "Sometimes when they were upset, they’d say, ‘Wait, we can do like Pepa,’ and then they’d apologize. It really worked well." (Teacher 01) However, one teacher with a multi-level class noted that these concepts were mostly grasped by her older students. Two other teachers felt that understanding the concepts took time or was incomplete for more complex emotions like shyness. Eight teachers observed progress in their pupils’ ability to express emotions. Through the Kindness Curriculum specifically, students learned to name, discuss, and sometimes analyze their emotions, as well as to accept and understand them. "What struck me was that they’re getting used to talking about their emotions." (Teacher 03) Eight teachers linked the program to improvements in students' self-regulation and self-care. Pupils seemed more attentive to their own well-being, appeared calmer, and were more relaxed after the activities. Some teachers noted that the activities helped pupils focus better in class. "The idea of curling up when they weren’t feeling well, trying to refocus on themselves—that’s something they really integrated. Sometimes, I saw them doing it in class." (Teacher 10) "I think it really calmed them down and helped them be more attentive afterward." (Teacher 07) Positive effects were also observed on students’ relationships, according to 13 teachers. They managed conflicts better, with fewer fights and more dialogue, and developed greater kindness, empathy, and attentiveness towards others. Some teachers also noted improved teacher-child relationships. "They used to argue and tattle on each other constantly. Now, they do that much less... Sometimes I overhear really deep, calm conversations between them. I’m sure the program has a direct impact on this new way of interacting." (Teacher 11) "With listening and doing nice things for others, I think it’s really linked to the Kindness garden, the Kindness seeds, etc. They were super attentive. There were moments where they’d suggest doing things on their own, like drawing pictures for another class because someone’s little brother was born, and that idea came from them." (Teacher 07) The effects on children with initial emotional or behavioral difficulties, hyperactivity, or autism spectrum disorders were mixed, according to five teachers. Two teachers felt the program’s impact on these students was limited or insufficient, while three others noticed positive effects in emotional expression or inclusion in class activities. "These kids can’t manage their emotions at all. Asking them to manage just through the program isn’t enough. It’s really not enough." (Teacher 04) "With my autistic pupil, I was worried that the other kids might be mean to him. But no, they never left him alone; they always held his hand, made sure he was okay, played with him. I think the work we did helped with that, although it’s hard to say exactly how much." (Teacher 16) Three teachers reported that the program also fostered a connection with parents, creating continuity between the SEC taught in school and at home. "I got really positive feedback from parents. They applied it at home, too, and it helped them manage their kids' emotions and little crises or conflicts. It was really helpful." (Teacher 12) However, three teachers found the program’s impact uncertain or unclear. Two of these teachers observed positive effects but were unsure whether they were directly related to the program. Another mentioned a lack of impact on students' attention. One teacher reported no effects of the intervention, mentioning that personal health issues prevented her from completing the implementation and that she was facing challenging students. "I think there were probably changes, but they’re not very noticeable. But I think there were some, just not necessarily visible." (Teacher 15) "I’m not sure if it’s related to these activities… It’s true that in a mixed-age class, the kids become empathetic toward each other. The older kids take care of the younger ones, and something happens naturally. I’m not sure if it’s because of the empathy exercises or just the way the class is structured." (Teacher 07) Finally, no negative effects of the program were reported. Adaptations and appropriation Various adaptations of the program were implemented. First, organizational changes to the sessions were made by nine teachers in our sample, both for the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities. For example, by the end of the year, the body-oriented activities were sometimes led by one or more students instead of the teacher, or an activity from the Kindness Curriculum was conducted in English rather than French. In addition to these organizational changes, ten teachers added or modified content. For instance, additional yoga pose sheets were incorporated into the body-oriented activities. In the Kindness Curriculum, songs were replaced by other songs, photos for practicing emotion imitation were added, and the stuffed toys used in the breathing exercise ("belly friends") were replaced with small bags. These changes were mainly motivated by the teachers' desire to find materials or content they considered more appropriate. Furthermore, eight teachers shortened certain sessions or chose to omit some content. Additionally, eight teachers used material from the empathy workshop in other classroom activities. Finally, some adaptations were explicitly aimed at helping students better grasp the concepts discussed. This was achieved by leaving the materials available for student use, simplifying the lessons (e.g., focusing on only three or four emotions), rereading and discussing the same story multiple times, or linking the workshop content to other materials studied in class. Challenges encountered Despite the overall positive reception and commitment of the teachers, all teachers in our sample faced at least one difficulty during implementation. These challenges stemmed from various sources. First, 15 teachers reported difficulties related to the context. In particular, teachers mentioned a lack of time available for the program compared to the dense academic curriculum, as well as limited material and human resources, and challenges related to class characteristics. Eleven teachers mentioned a lack of time. The overall intensity of the program, combined with the need to prepare for each session, added to an already heavy workload associated with traditional academic teaching. As a result, some teachers prioritized academic learning, which sometimes led to delays or disengagement from the SEL program. "In general, let's just say it's a pretty heavy program to manage over a year […] It forces us to make choices, and we have a national curriculum to follow too, so at some point, the choice kind of makes itself." (Teacher 07) Regarding the lack of resources reported by seven teachers, the absence of personnel to supervise students with greater difficulties sometimes hindered the smooth running of the workshops. Additionally, some teachers lacked dedicated spaces for the activities, and their classrooms were not suitable due to space limitations, noise, or distractions. "I had two students with disabilities and no one to assist me this year, so on certain days when they were more agitated, especially one of them... it affected the workshop." (Teacher 05) Contextual factors and classroom characteristics also made it difficult to implement certain activities for six teachers. Specifically, managing a multi-level class that included very young children, large class sizes, co-teaching arrangements (where two teachers share a class), strikes, and teacher absences made it hard to conduct program activities. "I couldn’t get the calm I needed, and that was due to the number of students. The class was just too big." (Teacher 13) A second source of difficulty, mentioned by 12 teachers, stemmed from certain student characteristics. These challenges varied among teachers, such as lack of student autonomy, concentration, introspection, language skills, or abstract thinking abilities. Some students were less receptive to the activities, either not engaging or even disrupting the sessions. The presence of students with disabilities or behavioral issues could also impact the activities. "Whenever there was a tool that helped make things more visual, it worked better. But when it was just discussion and trying to get them to talk about feelings... it was complicated, they struggled. In the end, it was always the same students talking. I know the others were listening, but they tended to zone out and do something else or talk." (Teacher 08) A third source of difficulty, mentioned by 15 teachers, was related to the materials and lessons in the French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum. One book in particular ("What Color is the Wind?") was found to be too abstract and not age-appropriate by three teachers. Other issues with the materials varied among teachers, such as finding a book too long, abandoning a complex activity mid-year, or students becoming tired of the songs. There were also two instances where students misused the materials or diverted the objectives of the activity, such as playing with the feathers meant for breathing exercises or turning the distribution of "empathy seeds" for kind acts into a competition to collect the most seeds. A final source of difficulty, described by nine teachers, related to their lack of mastery and discomfort with certain activities. This lack of mastery manifested in two different ways: a lack of preparation for the Kindness Curriculum’s lessons and the novelty of the themes for the teachers. This lack of mastery sometimes led to a loss of student focus, as reported by four teachers. "The [body-oriented activities] were harder for me because I don't practice yoga. I lacked creativity... when you're not used to it, it's tough... You need imagination to give the kids images, to extend the activity, to really live in the moment. I did it, but it took a lot of preparation. I kept thinking, 'I'll do this, then this, then this,' because I wasn't comfortable." (Teacher 13) "You can tell right away in kindergarten when there’s silence... you lose them immediately. It's important that everything flows smoothly." (Teacher 08) In addition to this lack of mastery, three teachers mentioned discomfort or apprehension about certain activities, though two of them overcame this discomfort during the year. "The wind book [‘What Color is the Wind?’] was beautiful, but the students found it hard to understand. And for me, delivering it was challenging. I didn’t feel comfortable." (Teacher 13) "The well-being workshops were interesting because I discovered I’m very pedagogical. I was afraid I wouldn’t be comfortable, but in the end, it flowed really well with my students. I also got to know my students better, seeing a different side of their personalities." (Teacher 11) Support for long-term commitment To support long-term teacher commitment and motivation to implement the program, various strategies and ideas were suggested. A first strategy mentioned by five teachers was to change the books used in the Kindness Curriculum from one year to the next to avoid teacher weariness. Three teachers also suggested giving teachers the opportunity to adapt the program by selecting specific lessons rather than covering the entire content. Three teachers mentioned the need for occasional contact with the trainers in the form of meetings to stay motivated or seek help if needed. Lastly, other strategies were mentioned in one interview, such as integrating the program into the school project, or having the activities led by external facilitators. Discussion This qualitative study was the first to explore the experiences and attitudes of teachers toward a SEL program combining the adapted Kindness Curriculum and a body-oriented activity. The majority of teachers highlighted the high quality and motivating aspect of the training, and a generally positive perception of the program was observed. Teachers find the program suitable due to its simplicity and variety of content. The program was also generally well-received by children. Student engagement was identified in a previous study as a key factor supporting the sustainability of the intervention (Herlitz et al., 2020 ). Thus, French preschoolers’ appreciation of the program contents is encouraging for its long-term sustainability. Teacher appreciation of the program was also linked to the observed impacts on students. Half of the teachers stated that their students had integrated key concepts from the program. Moreover, effects related to the five core competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning model (CASEL, 2003 ) were noted by at least half of the teachers: 1) awareness, acceptance, and expression of emotions (corresponding to the Self-awareness competency of the CASEL model); 2) children’s emotional and behavioral self-regulation (Self-management) ; 3) conflict management, kindness, and improvement in relationships with the teacher (Relationship skills); 4) empathy and attentiveness to others (Social awareness and Responsible decision-making). It should be noted, however, that these effects were not observed by all teachers. A mixed impact was noted for students with special needs, suggesting that the program might not be fully suitable or sufficient for these students. Some of these students may benefit more from selective preventive interventions, aimed not at the entire class but rather at subgroups of students identified as being at risk of developing mental health problems (Fazel et al., 2014 ). Additionally, the implementation of activities sometimes helped strengthen the connection between school and home contexts. Strengthening contact with parents to reinforce SEL at home had been previously identified as important by preschool and elementary school teachers (Humphries et al., 2018 ). The majority of teachers made adaptations to the proposed activities. These adaptations often involved modifying the organization of sessions, adding or altering content and materials, or shortening certain lessons. Other adaptations, such as repeating lessons, aimed to help students better grasp the concepts addressed. The willingness to adapt the intervention demonstrated by teachers has also been identified in another study, where preschool and elementary school teachers emphasized the need for flexibility in program implementation, allowing them to incorporate their own ideas and materials (Humphries et al., 2018 ). This aligns with the idea that allowing intervention adjustments to accommodate the specific classroom context and teacher needs may promote long-term use of the intervention (Sáenz et al., 2024 ; Shelton et al., 2024 ). The fact that teachers adapted the program suggests that such modifications should have been anticipated and integrated into the original program evaluated during the RCT. Indeed, as they were not originally proposed in the program itself, these adaptations may have come at the cost of a reduction of program efficacy. Some strategies proposed by the teachers to support long-term commitment to the program were related to program adaptation, such as changing the books used in the Kindness Curriculum from year to year, and modifying or selecting certain content from the overall program. Despite the positive reception of the program by all teachers, the majority also faced difficulties during implementation. Some of these difficulties were context-related: lack of time and resources, classroom characteristics, or external issues such as personal health problems. As a result, some teachers chose to deprioritize SEL in favor of academic learning and scale back program implementation. This time constraint and the resulting tension between academic learning and SEL have been noted in previous studies in the United States (Martínez, 2016 ; Sáenz et al., 2024 ). In addition to contextual difficulties, challenges also arose from student characteristics, such as their ability to concentrate, their lack of autonomy, or their special needs, as well as specific content issues within the Kindness Curriculum, including finding certain books too long or too difficult, or students misusing the material. Finally, a lack of mastery of the program content by a limited number of teachers due to inadequate preparation or unfamiliarity was identified. This was particularly the case at the beginning of the intervention. Such lack of mastery was associated with initial apprehension and discomfort with some activities, sometimes leading to student disengagement during activities. Early feelings of discomfort and apprehension during the intervention were described in a previous study on teachers implementing a SEL program: these feelings were linked to a sense of low self-efficacy and being overwhelmed by the novelty of the content they were expected to deliver (Mischenko et al., 2022 ). Notably, two out of three teachers in our sample overcame these issues without additional support. This may indicate the need for SEL-focused training for teachers during their initial and ongoing professional development. This study should be considered in the light of some limitations. First, not all teachers who had been trained this year accepted to participate in this study: of the 26 teachers trained this year, only 17 (65%) took part in the interviews. It is possible that teachers who were the most motivated or satisfied with the program were also the ones who decided to participate in the interview, introducing a potential bias in our findings. Also, in addition to potential social desirability bias inherent in the interview setting, two out of the six interviewers were directly involved in the program training. This may have influenced teachers’ responses toward a more favorable attitude and minimized difficulties. In the present study, data collection took place at the end of the first year of implementation. It would be interesting to analyze the potential evolution in attitudes and experiences toward the intervention in the longer term. Additionally, some teachers expressed the wish to communicate with the trainers or other trained teachers after the training, during the course of the year. This should be kept in mind when considering implementing this program nationwide with multiple training facilitators: mid-term meetings could be organized to help solve issues and help some teachers maintain or regain motivation. Declarations Funding: This trial received a public funding from the regional health agency of Seine-Saint-Denis ( Agence régionale de Santé de Seine-Saint-Denis ), and a private funding from the local foundation of Paris Airports ( Fondation des aéroports de Paris ). Compliance with Ethical Standards: Ethical Approval : All procedures performed in this study were approved by the ethics committee of the UFR SPSE, Psychological and Educational Sciences of Paris Nanterre University (reference number: 04-n°1) on April 8th, 2020. References American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, & Children’s Hospital Association (2021) AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health . 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Lancet Psychiatry 1(5):377–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70312-8 Flook L, Goldberg SB, Pinger L, Davidson RJ (2015) Promoting Prosocial Behavior and Self-Regulatory Skills in Preschool Children Through a Mindfulness-Based Kindness Curriculum. Dev Psychol 51(1):44–51 Haines BA, Hong PY, Immel KR, Lishner DA (2023) The mindfulness–based Kindness Curriculum for preschoolers: An applied multi–site randomized control trial. Mindfulness 14:2195–2210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02210-8 Herlitz L, MacIntyre H, Osborn T, Bonell C (2020) The sustainability of public health interventions in schools: A systematic review. Implement Sci 15(1):4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-019-0961-8 Humphries ML, Williams BV, May T (2018) Early childhood teachers’ perspectives on social-emotional competence and learning in urban classrooms. J Appl School Psychol 34(2):157–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2018.1425790 Jones SM, Bouffard SM (Éds.). (2012). Social and Emotional Learning in schools: From programs to strategies. Social Policy Rep, 26 (4), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2379-3988.2012.tb00073.x Mallawaarachchi SR, Hooley M, Sutherland-Smith W, Horwood S (2022) You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t: A qualitative exploration of parent motives for provision of mobile screen devices in early childhood. BMC Public Health , 22 (1), 2011. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14459-0 Martínez L (2016) Teachers’ voices on Social Emotional Learning: Identifying the conditions that make implementation possible. Int J Emotional Educ 8(2):6–24 Martinsone B, Vilcina S (2017) Teachers’ Perceptions of Sustainability of the Social Emotional Learning Program in Latvia: A Focus Group Study. J Teacher Educ Sustain 19(2):5–20. https://doi.org/10.1515/jtes-2017-0011 Mischenko PP, Nicholas-Hoff P, Schussler DL, Iwu J, Jennings PA (2022) Implementation barriers and facilitators of a mindfulness‐based social emotional learning program and the role of relational trust: A qualitative study. Psychol Sch 59:1643–1671. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22724 Moore JE, Mascarenhas A, Bain J, Straus SE (2017) Developing a comprehensive definition of sustainability. Implement Sci 12(1):110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0637-1 Pagerols M, Prat R, Rivas C, Español-Martín G, Puigbó J, Pagespetit È, Haro JM, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Casas M, Bosch R (2022) The impact of psychopathology on academic performance in school-age children and adolescents. Sci Rep 12(4291). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08242-9 Poehlmann-Tynan J, Vigna AB, Weymouth LA, Gerstein ED, Burnson C, Zabransky M, Lee P, Zahn-Waxler C (2016) A pilot study of contemplative practices with economically disadvantaged preschoolers: Children’s empathic and self-regulatory behaviors. Mindfulness 7(1):46–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0426-3 Provalis Research (2024) QDA Miner (Version 2024.0.4) [Logiciel]. Provalis Research. http://www.provalisresearch.com Sáenz AA, Burn A-M, Allen K, Hansford L, Hayes R, Allwood M, Longdon B, Price A, Ford T (2024) Teachers’ views on the sustainability of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management programme: A one-year qualitative follow-up study. Emotional Behav Difficulties 29(1–2):4–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2024.2347005 Schiepe-Tiska A, Dzhaparkulova A, Ziernwald L (2021) A mixed-methods approach to investigating social and emotional learning at schools: Teachers’ familiarity, beliefs, training, and perceived school culture. Front Psychol 12:518634. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.518634 Shelton RC, Cooper BR, Stirman SW (2024) The sustainability of evidence-based interventions and practices in public health and health care. Annu Rev Public Health 39(1):55–76. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014731 Solmi M, Radua J, Olivola M, Croce E, Soardo L, De Pablo S, Il Shin G, Kirkbride J, Jones JB, Kim P, Kim JH, Carvalho JY, Seeman AF, Correll MV, C. U., Fusar-Poli P (2022) Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: Large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Mol Psychiatry 27(1):281–295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7 Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files SupplementTeachersviewontheimplementationandsustainabilityofaFrenchadaptationoftheKindnessCurriculumaqualitativestudy.docx Semi-structured interview guide for exploring teachers' experiences with the program SupplementTeachersviewontheimplementationandsustainabilityofaFrenchadaptationoftheKindnessCurriculumaqualitativestudy.docx Supplementary materials Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6214105","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":427970510,"identity":"68cfbfab-d622-4107-b632-da9357996ef8","order_by":0,"name":"Ophélie Courbet","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHgaGBwYQJjMQy0HYBhYM7A14tCQgtBgYG4B1Gkgw8BzAp4UBoSVxA1gLA24t/NK9Bx8kFNgw8Lf3mH0uqPiTvp29/+iGHwVALdLY9UjOOZdskGCQxiBx5ozx7BlnDHJ39hxmu9kDchhfAlYtBjdyzCQSDA4DHZ9jzMzbZpC74UYy2w0eoBZ7HuwOA2ox/5Fg8B+q5Z9BugFQy80/IFtwazEDhtgBqJYGoCOBWm7z4NEiOeeMMdBhyTwSZ44VM884Zmy44cxhs9syBhI8uLTwS/cYfvjwx06Ov715M3NBjZy8wfHGZzff/LGRw6UFGP5ggCmNSwNcyygYBaNgFIwC3AAAHKFSSb97/NIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3558-1525","institution":"Paris 8 University, Saint-Denis, France","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ophélie","middleName":"","lastName":"Courbet","suffix":""},{"id":427971078,"identity":"81c58ae4-2603-4225-8aca-e42413fbc07b","order_by":1,"name":"Victoire Kalamarides","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Paris 8 University, Saint-Denis, France","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Victoire","middleName":"","lastName":"Kalamarides","suffix":""},{"id":427971079,"identity":"46483928-4433-471c-b7b6-85d6440af106","order_by":2,"name":"Marianne Habib","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Paris 8 University, Saint-Denis, France","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marianne","middleName":"","lastName":"Habib","suffix":""},{"id":427971080,"identity":"2eb4f4c6-5e81-465d-8e32-975035057a54","order_by":3,"name":"Thomas Villemonteix","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Paris 8 University, Saint-Denis, France","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thomas","middleName":"","lastName":"Villemonteix","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-12 17:34:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":78494504,"identity":"24aafb37-ced9-4ce2-af13-45c80b8edaff","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-14 03:49:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":504885,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6214105/v1/a39dd854-167d-4198-a090-f2987a3ad3bf.pdf"},{"id":78494364,"identity":"cae50144-623c-48b5-aeb7-f6cca35db8b5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-14 03:41:36","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":9102,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSemi-structured interview guide for exploring teachers' experiences with the program\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"SupplementTeachersviewontheimplementationandsustainabilityofaFrenchadaptationoftheKindnessCurriculumaqualitativestudy.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6214105/v1/5fa576838b9d662725c49481.docx"},{"id":78494367,"identity":"8ebb4cfb-6897-4e80-a589-1f4ab1dffd42","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-14 03:41:36","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":9102,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSupplementary materials\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"SupplementTeachersviewontheimplementationandsustainabilityofaFrenchadaptationoftheKindnessCurriculumaqualitativestudy.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6214105/v1/547b6fd945e6d2ff48f87705.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeachers’ view on the implementation and sustainability of a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum: a qualitative study\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eEarly interventions such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs can be implemented in schools and have been shown to improve mental health and academic outcomes (Cipriano et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Durlak et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Social and Emotional Competencies (SEC) acquired in the first years of life lay the foundation for later, more developed competencies (Jones \u0026amp; Bouffard, 2012). The Kindness Curriculum is a SEL program designed for preschool children that includes mindfulness-based components (Flook et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). It focuses on improving self-awareness, self-management, and prosocial behaviors through structured activities such as reading, discussions, breathing exercises and games. Positive effects of this intervention on self-management, prosocial skills and executive functioning have been found in various contexts (Flook et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Haines et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Poehlmann-Tynan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), but methodological weaknesses have limited the strength of these findings [Authors]. Recently, a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum supplemented with body-oriented activities and an emotion circle time conducted by trained preschool teachers, has been implemented in French preschools [Authors]. A quantitative evaluation of this intervention was conducted using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a large sample of 761 children and found positive effects on children's mental health and teacher-child relationships [Authors]. However, implementation varied significantly between classrooms [Authors].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeyond assessing the efficacy of interventions, it is essential that SEL interventions are sustainable in the long run (Moore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Sustainability of interventions may depend on several key factors, such as the level of mastery of the program by school staff, students\u0026rsquo; engagement, content modification and adaptation by teachers, and the observation of a positive impact on students' well-being (Herlitz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Moore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In practice, mindfulness-based interventions with young children are generally perceived as acceptable, feasible, and effective by both novice and experienced teachers (Bockmann \u0026amp; Yu, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). However, few studies have specifically examined teachers' perceptions, attitudes, and feelings toward the implementation and sustainability of SEL interventions in preschool. A qualitative study conducted with pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) to third-grade teachers in disadvantaged urban areas of the United States suggested that teachers feel responsible for teaching SEC to their students, viewing SEL as part of their role (Humphries et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Another study identified key facilitators of SEL program sustainability in Latvia for first to twelfth grade teachers (Martinsone \u0026amp; Vilcina, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). These facilitators included supplementing the program with new content, ongoing training, support from school administration and staff, and lesson flexibility (Martinsone \u0026amp; Vilcina, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Preschool and elementary teachers in various countries have also reported practical challenges, such as time constraints due to heavy workloads, which hinder program implementation (Humphries et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Mart\u0026iacute;nez, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Martinsone \u0026amp; Vilcina, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Beyond these logistical barriers, two studies involving teachers from preschool to secondary school have highlighted the need for additional training (Mart\u0026iacute;nez, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Schiepe-Tiska et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). While teachers expressed motivation to implement SEL interventions, they may report lacking confidence in their ability to teach SEC due to insufficient initial training on the topic (Schiepe-Tiska et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). This lack of confidence and knowledge may also impede effective program implementation. The situation for French teachers could be similar, as SEL is almost entirely absent from their initial teacher training.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo our knowledge, no study to date has explored teachers\u0026rsquo; attitudes and experiences regarding the Kindness Curriculum intervention. Thus, the aim of this study was to qualitatively explore teachers\u0026rsquo; attitudes and experiences with the Kindness Curriculum, focusing on the factors that are likely to influence its implementation and sustainability: training and program appreciation, perceived impacts, adaptation and appropriation, perceived support for long-term engagement, and challenges encountered.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eParticipants and recruitment\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants were 17 preschool teachers; recruited from 15 schools located in a predominantly socio-economically disadvantaged area in France (\u003cem\u003eSeine-Saint-Denis\u003c/em\u003e department) during the 2022\u0026ndash;2023 school year. Interviews were proposed to all teachers who had been trained to implement the program during this school year (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;26). Proposals to participate were sent via email at the end of the school year by a principal investigator [Author 4] (June 2023); participation in the interview was not mandatory to receive the training and content of the program. The inclusion criteria for teachers were as follows: they had to be teaching in public schools at the Pre-K level or in a mixture of Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten level (corresponding to \u003cem\u003eMoyenne section\u003c/em\u003e or to \u003cem\u003ePetite\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMoyenne\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGrande Section\u003c/em\u003e in France). Teachers provided consent to participate in the interview, and participation was compensated with a 20 Euro gift-card. The final sample consisted of 17 teachers; 100% women; 65% teaching in education priority areas corresponding to the \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003er\u0026eacute;seau d\u0026rsquo;\u0026eacute;ducation prioritaire\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; in France; and 82% teaching Pre-K classes only.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntervention and data collection\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeachers received a six-hour training in October 2022 provided by three investigators [Authors 1,2,3] to implement the French adaptation of the kindness curriculum along with body-oriented activities. The training included the presentation of each activity, role-playing, and a personal initiation to body-oriented exercises and mindfulness. Teachers received the required materials and detailed instruction manuals for each activity. Then, teachers had the opportunity to implement the program for 24 weeks. The program content has been described in detail previously [Author]. Individual interviews were subsequently conducted in June-July 2023, either face-to-face at the teacher\u0026rsquo;s school or via videoconference (Zoom\u0026trade;), depending on the participants\u0026rsquo; preferences and availability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEach interview was conducted by a principal investigator [Author 1] or one of six experimenters trained to conduct semi-structured research interviews. The interviews were semi-structured, consisting of open-ended questions that allow teachers to freely express themselves on a broad theme, and follow-up prompts to clarify certain points and expand on their responses. The questions and prompts were asked in a flexible manner, following the flow of the conversation. Topics were developed a priori based on our research questions. Specifically, the interviews addressed points related to the appreciation of the training, of the program as a whole, and satisfaction with each activity (Kindness Curriculum and body-oriented activities) in particular; the challenges encountered; content adaptation and appropriation; potential impacts observed on pupils; and strategies they might use to continue implementing the program in future years. The list of questions and prompts is available in the Supplement (Suppl 1). At the beginning of the interview, teachers were informed of its purpose and of the themes that would be discussed. Average interview duration was 31.57 minutes (SD\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.24). All interviews were audio-recorded (using an audio recorder or Zoom\u0026trade;), transcribed and anonymized.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eData management and analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe transcribed and anonymized interviews were entered into QDA Miner software (version 2024.0.4) (Provalis Research, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) for thematic analysis. The thematic analysis involved three investigators [Authors 1,2,3]. A hybrid approach inspired by the article by Mallawaarachchi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) was used. Initially, a deductive method was employed: themes were predefined based on the broad categories of questions asked in the interview guide: 1) experience and satisfaction with the training; 2) appreciation of the program and observed impact on pupils; 3) adaptations and appropriation; 4) challenges encountered; and 5) support for long-term engagement. This provided a structure and guide for data extraction, aligned with our research questions. Then, an inductive method was followed to identify sub-themes within each theme, enriching the analysis. Due to thematic overlaps observed during the coding phases and the creation of subthemes, two initial themes were merged: \"appreciation of the program\" and \"impact on pupils\". Once the themes were defined, the following steps were followed for thematic data analysis: 1) familiarization with the data; 2) distribution of interviews for analysis among the three investigators; 3) individual preliminary reading of three interviews by each investigator; 4) coding of each verbatim; 5) classification of verbatims into the six predefined themes when relevant (or into an \u0026ldquo;other\u0026rdquo; category otherwise); 6) group discussions among the three investigators to validate the classification of verbatims into the predefined themes; 7) categorization of verbatims from all other interviews according to the same predefined themes and group consultations; 8) individual re-reading of the verbatims within a given theme; 9) creation of a matrix in Excel with each verbatim associated with its code and the corresponding teacher\u0026rsquo;s code; 10) creation of subthemes individually within each theme when verbatims were sufficiently numerous and diverse; and 11) group discussions around the created subthemes and potential adjustments to themes and subthemes. Data were analyzed in French. Interview quotes have been translated into English for illustrative purposes in the results section.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThemes and subthemes are presented in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eList of themes and sub-themes related to teachers\u0026rsquo; experience with the program\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExperience and satisfaction with the training\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAppreciation of the program and observed impact\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGeneral appreciation of the program\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAppreciation of the structure and content\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStudents\u0026apos; appreciation\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eObserved changes in students\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdaptations and appropriation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChallenges encountered\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContext-related challenges\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStudent-related challenges\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLevel of mastery and teacher\u0026rsquo;s discomfort\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChallenges related to teaching materials\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupport for long-term commitment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote.\u003c/em\u003e Themes and sub\u0026minus;themes were identified through thematic analysis of 17 semi\u0026minus;structured interviews conducted with volunteer teachers. Themes are in \u003cstrong\u003ebold\u003c/strong\u003e, sub\u0026minus;themes in \u003cem\u003eitalics\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eExperience and satisfaction with the training\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the 14 teachers who mentioned the training during the interview, 12 expressed positive and enthusiastic feedback regarding the training, highlighting its quality, clarity, practical focus, and the ease of implementing the activities. The training appeared to have a motivating effect on some teachers, enabling them to envision implementing the activities in their classrooms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Amazing. It was great. It was interesting. No, it was awesome. It was a whole day, and even though at first I thought, \u0026lsquo;Wow, the whole Wednesday!\u0026rsquo; But no, super interesting, really motivating, kind, and supportive. It was really, really nice.\u0026quot; (Teacher 09)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;It made you want to do it. You left feeling like you really wanted to implement it.\u0026quot; (Teacher 14)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, two responses were mixed: one teacher considered that the training went \u0026quot;too fast\u0026quot; and was not sufficient to implement the program in her classroom. Another mentioned that the body-oriented activities could have been more thoroughly practiced.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppreciation of the program and observed impact\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the teachers expressed enthusiasm and appreciation for the program at some point during the interviews. None of the teachers reported dissatisfaction or negative feelings toward the program as a whole. Three teachers mentioned that the program introduced them to new concepts and themes that are rarely addressed in class but are highly relevant for pupils at this age.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I think it\u0026rsquo;s a really, really great project that should be offered to all schools. Because, you know, we talk about emotions in preschool, but not in this much detail.\u0026quot; (Teacher 06)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA primary reason for the teachers\u0026apos; positive reception of the program was its structure and content. Specifically, seven teachers noted that the activities and materials used, both in the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities, were well-suited to their pupils\u0026rsquo; developmental level.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;That was great, and even the younger ones [Nursery level] were doing it, and it was good.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, seven teachers highlighted the program\u0026rsquo;s construction and its progression. They appreciated the simplicity of the instructions, the variety of content, the smooth progression of ideas across the Kindness Curriculum, and the balance between the structured manual guidance and the freedom to choose exercises in the body-oriented activities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The project was ready-to-use, and there was a progression that I found very coherent, so it fit together well. Plus, it was varied, you know, it wasn\u0026rsquo;t just books; it was diverse. For me, it was very practical.\u0026quot; (Teacher 13)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll 17 teachers mentioned different activities that their pupils responded positively to. Pupils\u0026apos; appreciation often resulted in them requesting these activities, both in the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The kids loved [the well-being workshops], boys and girls alike. It worked really well, they liked it, and if I happened to skip it, they would ask for it.\u0026quot; (Teacher 09)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTeachers\u0026rsquo; appreciation of the program was also connected to observed impacts on their pupils. The phrase \u0026quot;it worked well\u0026quot; appeared 15 times in the interview transcripts, describing how activities were successfully implemented, captured students\u0026apos; attention, or helped develop specific skills. Eight teachers observed that pupils seemed to understand and internalize key concepts from the activities, such as kindness, attentiveness, and breathing techniques, and some of them discussed the concepts with each other or practiced the exercises on their own.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;They understood what it meant to be kind, or at least to pay attention to someone or something. It came from them, and I think it\u0026rsquo;s really linked to the readings and exercises like the [Kindness] garden, the seeds, etc. It worked well, and it\u0026rsquo;s definitely thanks to the program.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Sometimes when they were upset, they\u0026rsquo;d say, \u0026lsquo;Wait, we can do like Pepa,\u0026rsquo; and then they\u0026rsquo;d apologize. It really worked well.\u0026quot; (Teacher 01)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, one teacher with a multi-level class noted that these concepts were mostly grasped by her older students. Two other teachers felt that understanding the concepts took time or was incomplete for more complex emotions like shyness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEight teachers observed progress in their pupils\u0026rsquo; ability to express emotions. Through the Kindness Curriculum specifically, students learned to name, discuss, and sometimes analyze their emotions, as well as to accept and understand them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;What struck me was that they\u0026rsquo;re getting used to talking about their emotions.\u0026quot; (Teacher 03)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEight teachers linked the program to improvements in students\u0026apos; self-regulation and self-care. Pupils seemed more attentive to their own well-being, appeared calmer, and were more relaxed after the activities. Some teachers noted that the activities helped pupils focus better in class.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The idea of curling up when they weren\u0026rsquo;t feeling well, trying to refocus on themselves\u0026mdash;that\u0026rsquo;s something they really integrated. Sometimes, I saw them doing it in class.\u0026quot; (Teacher 10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I think it really calmed them down and helped them be more attentive afterward.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePositive effects were also observed on students\u0026rsquo; relationships, according to 13 teachers. They managed conflicts better, with fewer fights and more dialogue, and developed greater kindness, empathy, and attentiveness towards others. Some teachers also noted improved teacher-child relationships.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;They used to argue and tattle on each other constantly. Now, they do that much less... Sometimes I overhear really deep, calm conversations between them. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the program has a direct impact on this new way of interacting.\u0026quot; (Teacher 11)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;With listening and doing nice things for others, I think it\u0026rsquo;s really linked to the Kindness garden, the Kindness seeds, etc. They were super attentive. There were moments where they\u0026rsquo;d suggest doing things on their own, like drawing pictures for another class because someone\u0026rsquo;s little brother was born, and that idea came from them.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe effects on children with initial emotional or behavioral difficulties, hyperactivity, or autism spectrum disorders were mixed, according to five teachers. Two teachers felt the program\u0026rsquo;s impact on these students was limited or insufficient, while three others noticed positive effects in emotional expression or inclusion in class activities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;These kids can\u0026rsquo;t manage their emotions at all. Asking them to manage just through the program isn\u0026rsquo;t enough. It\u0026rsquo;s really not enough.\u0026quot; (Teacher 04)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;With my autistic pupil, I was worried that the other kids might be mean to him. But no, they never left him alone; they always held his hand, made sure he was okay, played with him. I think the work we did helped with that, although it\u0026rsquo;s hard to say exactly how much.\u0026quot; (Teacher 16)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree teachers reported that the program also fostered a connection with parents, creating continuity between the SEC taught in school and at home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I got really positive feedback from parents. They applied it at home, too, and it helped them manage their kids\u0026apos; emotions and little crises or conflicts. It was really helpful.\u0026quot; (Teacher 12)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, three teachers found the program\u0026rsquo;s impact uncertain or unclear. Two of these teachers observed positive effects but were unsure whether they were directly related to the program. Another mentioned a lack of impact on students\u0026apos; attention. One teacher reported no effects of the intervention, mentioning that personal health issues prevented her from completing the implementation and that she was facing challenging students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I think there were probably changes, but they\u0026rsquo;re not very noticeable. But I think there were some, just not necessarily visible.\u0026quot; (Teacher 15)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if it\u0026rsquo;s related to these activities\u0026hellip; It\u0026rsquo;s true that in a mixed-age class, the kids become empathetic toward each other. The older kids take care of the younger ones, and something happens naturally. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if it\u0026rsquo;s because of the empathy exercises or just the way the class is structured.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinally, no negative effects of the program were reported.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdaptations and appropriation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarious adaptations of the program were implemented. First, organizational changes to the sessions were made by nine teachers in our sample, both for the Kindness Curriculum and the body-oriented activities. For example, by the end of the year, the body-oriented activities were sometimes led by one or more students instead of the teacher, or an activity from the Kindness Curriculum was conducted in English rather than French. In addition to these organizational changes, ten teachers added or modified content. For instance, additional yoga pose sheets were incorporated into the body-oriented activities. In the Kindness Curriculum, songs were replaced by other songs, photos for practicing emotion imitation were added, and the stuffed toys used in the breathing exercise (\u0026quot;belly friends\u0026quot;) were replaced with small bags. These changes were mainly motivated by the teachers\u0026apos; desire to find materials or content they considered more appropriate. Furthermore, eight teachers shortened certain sessions or chose to omit some content. Additionally, eight teachers used material from the empathy workshop in other classroom activities. Finally, some adaptations were explicitly aimed at helping students better grasp the concepts discussed. This was achieved by leaving the materials available for student use, simplifying the lessons (e.g., focusing on only three or four emotions), rereading and discussing the same story multiple times, or linking the workshop content to other materials studied in class.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChallenges encountered\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the overall positive reception and commitment of the teachers, all teachers in our sample faced at least one difficulty during implementation. These challenges stemmed from various sources.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, 15 teachers reported difficulties related to the context. In particular, teachers mentioned a lack of time available for the program compared to the dense academic curriculum, as well as limited material and human resources, and challenges related to class characteristics. Eleven teachers mentioned a lack of time. The overall intensity of the program, combined with the need to prepare for each session, added to an already heavy workload associated with traditional academic teaching. As a result, some teachers prioritized academic learning, which sometimes led to delays or disengagement from the SEL program.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;In general, let\u0026apos;s just say it\u0026apos;s a pretty heavy program to manage over a year [\u0026hellip;] It forces us to make choices, and we have a national curriculum to follow too, so at some point, the choice kind of makes itself.\u0026quot; (Teacher 07)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding the lack of resources reported by seven teachers, the absence of personnel to supervise students with greater difficulties sometimes hindered the smooth running of the workshops. Additionally, some teachers lacked dedicated spaces for the activities, and their classrooms were not suitable due to space limitations, noise, or distractions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I had two students with disabilities and no one to assist me this year, so on certain days when they were more agitated, especially one of them... it affected the workshop.\u0026quot; (Teacher 05)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContextual factors and classroom characteristics also made it difficult to implement certain activities for six teachers. Specifically, managing a multi-level class that included very young children, large class sizes, co-teaching arrangements (where two teachers share a class), strikes, and teacher absences made it hard to conduct program activities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;I couldn\u0026rsquo;t get the calm I needed, and that was due to the number of students. The class was just too big.\u0026quot; (Teacher 13)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA second source of difficulty, mentioned by 12 teachers, stemmed from certain student characteristics. These challenges varied among teachers, such as lack of student autonomy, concentration, introspection, language skills, or abstract thinking abilities. Some students were less receptive to the activities, either not engaging or even disrupting the sessions. The presence of students with disabilities or behavioral issues could also impact the activities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Whenever there was a tool that helped make things more visual, it worked better. But when it was just discussion and trying to get them to talk about feelings... it was complicated, they struggled. In the end, it was always the same students talking. I know the others were listening, but they tended to zone out and do something else or talk.\u0026quot; (Teacher 08)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA third source of difficulty, mentioned by 15 teachers, was related to the materials and lessons in the French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum. One book in particular (\u0026quot;What Color is the Wind?\u0026quot;) was found to be too abstract and not age-appropriate by three teachers. Other issues with the materials varied among teachers, such as finding a book too long, abandoning a complex activity mid-year, or students becoming tired of the songs. There were also two instances where students misused the materials or diverted the objectives of the activity, such as playing with the feathers meant for breathing exercises or turning the distribution of \u0026quot;empathy seeds\u0026quot; for kind acts into a competition to collect the most seeds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA final source of difficulty, described by nine teachers, related to their lack of mastery and discomfort with certain activities. This lack of mastery manifested in two different ways: a lack of preparation for the Kindness Curriculum\u0026rsquo;s lessons and the novelty of the themes for the teachers. This lack of mastery sometimes led to a loss of student focus, as reported by four teachers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The [body-oriented activities] were harder for me because I don\u0026apos;t practice yoga. I lacked creativity... when you\u0026apos;re not used to it, it\u0026apos;s tough... You need imagination to give the kids images, to extend the activity, to really live in the moment. I did it, but it took a lot of preparation. I kept thinking, \u0026apos;I\u0026apos;ll do this, then this, then this,\u0026apos; because I wasn\u0026apos;t comfortable.\u0026quot; (Teacher 13)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;You can tell right away in kindergarten when there\u0026rsquo;s silence... you lose them immediately. It\u0026apos;s important that everything flows smoothly.\u0026quot; (Teacher 08)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to this lack of mastery, three teachers mentioned discomfort or apprehension about certain activities, though two of them overcame this discomfort during the year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The wind book [\u0026lsquo;What Color is the Wind?\u0026rsquo;] was beautiful, but the students found it hard to understand. And for me, delivering it was challenging. I didn\u0026rsquo;t feel comfortable.\u0026quot; (Teacher 13)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The well-being workshops were interesting because I discovered I\u0026rsquo;m very pedagogical. I was afraid I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be comfortable, but in the end, it flowed really well with my students. I also got to know my students better, seeing a different side of their personalities.\u0026quot; (Teacher 11)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSupport for long-term commitment\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo support long-term teacher commitment and motivation to implement the program, various strategies and ideas were suggested. A first strategy mentioned by five teachers was to change the books used in the Kindness Curriculum from one year to the next to avoid teacher weariness. Three teachers also suggested giving teachers the opportunity to adapt the program by selecting specific lessons rather than covering the entire content. Three teachers mentioned the need for occasional contact with the trainers in the form of meetings to stay motivated or seek help if needed. Lastly, other strategies were mentioned in one interview, such as integrating the program into the school project, or having the activities led by external facilitators.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis qualitative study was the first to explore the experiences and attitudes of teachers toward a SEL program combining the adapted Kindness Curriculum and a body-oriented activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe majority of teachers highlighted the high quality and motivating aspect of the training, and a generally positive perception of the program was observed. Teachers find the program suitable due to its simplicity and variety of content. The program was also generally well-received by children. Student engagement was identified in a previous study as a key factor supporting the sustainability of the intervention (Herlitz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, French preschoolers\u0026rsquo; appreciation of the program contents is encouraging for its long-term sustainability. Teacher appreciation of the program was also linked to the observed impacts on students. Half of the teachers stated that their students had integrated key concepts from the program. Moreover, effects related to the five core competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning model (CASEL, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e) were noted by at least half of the teachers: 1) awareness, acceptance, and expression of emotions (corresponding to the Self-awareness competency of the CASEL model); 2) children\u0026rsquo;s emotional and behavioral self-regulation (Self-management) ; 3) conflict management, kindness, and improvement in relationships with the teacher (Relationship skills); 4) empathy and attentiveness to others (Social awareness and Responsible decision-making). It should be noted, however, that these effects were not observed by all teachers. A mixed impact was noted for students with special needs, suggesting that the program might not be fully suitable or sufficient for these students. Some of these students may benefit more from selective preventive interventions, aimed not at the entire class but rather at subgroups of students identified as being at risk of developing mental health problems (Fazel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). Additionally, the implementation of activities sometimes helped strengthen the connection between school and home contexts. Strengthening contact with parents to reinforce SEL at home had been previously identified as important by preschool and elementary school teachers (Humphries et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe majority of teachers made adaptations to the proposed activities. These adaptations often involved modifying the organization of sessions, adding or altering content and materials, or shortening certain lessons. Other adaptations, such as repeating lessons, aimed to help students better grasp the concepts addressed. The willingness to adapt the intervention demonstrated by teachers has also been identified in another study, where preschool and elementary school teachers emphasized the need for flexibility in program implementation, allowing them to incorporate their own ideas and materials (Humphries et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). This aligns with the idea that allowing intervention adjustments to accommodate the specific classroom context and teacher needs may promote long-term use of the intervention (S\u0026aacute;enz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Shelton et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The fact that teachers adapted the program suggests that such modifications should have been anticipated and integrated into the original program evaluated during the RCT. Indeed, as they were not originally proposed in the program itself, these adaptations may have come at the cost of a reduction of program efficacy. Some strategies proposed by the teachers to support long-term commitment to the program were related to program adaptation, such as changing the books used in the Kindness Curriculum from year to year, and modifying or selecting certain content from the overall program.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the positive reception of the program by all teachers, the majority also faced difficulties during implementation. Some of these difficulties were context-related: lack of time and resources, classroom characteristics, or external issues such as personal health problems. As a result, some teachers chose to deprioritize SEL in favor of academic learning and scale back program implementation. This time constraint and the resulting tension between academic learning and SEL have been noted in previous studies in the United States (Mart\u0026iacute;nez, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; S\u0026aacute;enz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). In addition to contextual difficulties, challenges also arose from student characteristics, such as their ability to concentrate, their lack of autonomy, or their special needs, as well as specific content issues within the Kindness Curriculum, including finding certain books too long or too difficult, or students misusing the material. Finally, a lack of mastery of the program content by a limited number of teachers due to inadequate preparation or unfamiliarity was identified. This was particularly the case at the beginning of the intervention. Such lack of mastery was associated with initial apprehension and discomfort with some activities, sometimes leading to student disengagement during activities. Early feelings of discomfort and apprehension during the intervention were described in a previous study on teachers implementing a SEL program: these feelings were linked to a sense of low self-efficacy and being overwhelmed by the novelty of the content they were expected to deliver (Mischenko et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Notably, two out of three teachers in our sample overcame these issues without additional support. This may indicate the need for SEL-focused training for teachers during their initial and ongoing professional development.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study should be considered in the light of some limitations. First, not all teachers who had been trained this year accepted to participate in this study: of the 26 teachers trained this year, only 17 (65%) took part in the interviews. It is possible that teachers who were the most motivated or satisfied with the program were also the ones who decided to participate in the interview, introducing a potential bias in our findings. Also, in addition to potential social desirability bias inherent in the interview setting, two out of the six interviewers were directly involved in the program training. This may have influenced teachers\u0026rsquo; responses toward a more favorable attitude and minimized difficulties.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, data collection took place at the end of the first year of implementation. It would be interesting to analyze the potential evolution in attitudes and experiences toward the intervention in the longer term. Additionally, some teachers expressed the wish to communicate with the trainers or other trained teachers after the training, during the course of the year. This should be kept in mind when considering implementing this program nationwide with multiple training facilitators: mid-term meetings could be organized to help solve issues and help some teachers maintain or regain motivation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eFunding:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis trial received a public funding from the regional health agency of Seine-Saint-Denis (\u003cem\u003eAgence r\u0026eacute;gionale de Sant\u0026eacute; de Seine-Saint-Denis\u003c/em\u003e), and a private funding from the local foundation of Paris Airports (\u003cem\u003eFondation des a\u0026eacute;roports de Paris\u003c/em\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCompliance with Ethical Standards:\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEthical Approval\u003c/b\u003e: All procedures performed in this study were approved by the ethics committee of the UFR SPSE, Psychological and Educational Sciences of Paris Nanterre University (reference number: 04-n\u0026deg;1) on April 8th, 2020.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, \u0026amp; Children\u0026rsquo;s Hospital Association (2021) \u003cem\u003eAAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health\u003c/em\u003e. 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Annu Rev Public Health 39(1):55\u0026ndash;76. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014731\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014731\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSolmi M, Radua J, Olivola M, Croce E, Soardo L, De Pablo S, Il Shin G, Kirkbride J, Jones JB, Kim P, Kim JH, Carvalho JY, Seeman AF, Correll MV, C. U., Fusar-Poli P (2022) Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: Large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Mol Psychiatry 27(1):281\u0026ndash;295. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Agence Régionale de Santé Ile-de-France","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Social and emotional learning, social and emotional competencies, mental health, children, sustainability, implementation, teachers’ attitudes","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, such as the Kindness Curriculum, have shown positive effects on children's social and emotional competencies (SEC), mental health and executive functioning. However, the effectiveness of a program alone does not ensure its successful implementation and sustainability beyond the evaluation context. This study aims to qualitatively explore preschool teachers’ attitudes and experiences with the French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum, identifying key factors that are likely to affect its implementation and long-term sustainability. \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e Seventeen French preschool teachers from a socio-economically disadvantaged area participated in semi-structured interviews at the end of the school year, after implementing a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum. Data were thematically analyzed, combining deductive and inductive approaches.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e All teachers expressed appreciation for the program, citing its structure and content suitability, students’ appreciation and observed positive impacts on students’ SEC. However, challenges related to time constraints, classroom and students’ characteristics, teachers’ lack of mastery and support-related limitations sometimes hindered program implementation. Adaptations implemented by teachers were identified and strategies for long-term engagement were suggested.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e Despite the challenges encountered, teachers' overall positive reception of the program is encouraging for its long-term sustainability. The possibility for teachers to adapt the content, as well as the strengths and limitations of this study were discussed.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Teachers’ view on the implementation and sustainability of a French adaptation of the Kindness Curriculum: a qualitative study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-14 03:41:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6214105/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"511d78a0-c702-481f-ba0a-51cf2f380027","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 14th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":45598640,"name":"Psychology"},{"id":45598641,"name":"Educational Psychology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-14T03:41:32+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-14 03:41:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6214105","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6214105","identity":"rs-6214105","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}