Effects of Strengths-Based Interventions for Promoting Social and Emotional Wellbeing among Special Student Populations

Dear Colleagues,

Guided by the "whole child" movement in education, it is increasingly recognized that schools are places where students not only learn requisite cognitive skills and knowledge, but also undergo critical social and emotional development. Scholars, educators, and many other professionals have realized that the social, psychological, and emotional development of students is as important, or more important, compared to academic achievement, and for the long-term success of the student as a “whole person”. In recent decades, education has expanded beyond a deficit model that focuses on “fixing” problems in order to bring remediation, and has begun to adopt a strengths-based approach to understanding student functioning and achievement. This conceptual advancement has had an important impact on the design and implementation of intervention strategies and programs that aim to promote social and emotional development in the school, home, and community. Research in this field is still emerging, and for some student populations, it remains even less studied; such research includes investigating how to use strengths-based approaches in designing interventions for gifted students, young children (e.g., P-3), and students with special needs (e.g., disabilities).

The focus of this Special Issue is on how "best practices" in strengths-based interventions can be applied in the home or school environment, or both, to enhance social and emotional wellbeing among special student populations. Contributions to this Special Issue should focus on:

• Strengths-based interventions, including the discussion of "best practices" in the home, school, or both.
• Social and emotional wellbeing promotion.
• Special student populations (e.g., gifted, P-3, and special needs).

Contributions to this Special Issue can include, but are not limited to:

• Conceptual and theoretical discussions.
• Empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method).
• Reviews and meta-analyses.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Christian E. Mueller
Dr. Denise L. Winsor
Dr. Xu Lilya Jiang
Guest Editors

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• strengths-based
• social and emotional wellbeing
• interventions
• special populations
• gifted
• P-3
• special needs