TPC Journal V7, Issue 1-FULL ISSUE

33 Brett Zyromski, Melissa Mariani, Boyoung Kim, Sangmin Lee, John Carey The Impact of Student Success Skills on Students’ Metacognitive Functioning in a Naturalistic School Setting This study evaluated the impact of the Student Success Skills (SSS) classroom curriculum delivered in a naturalistic setting on the metacognitive functioning of 2,725 middle and high school students in Kentucky. SSS was implemented as one intervention to fulfill an Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Grant. Results in students’ self-reports indicated that those who received the intervention demonstrated increased ability to regulate their levels of emotional arousal. No additional significant differences were found. These findings differ from the results of previous outcome studies involving SSS. Implications for implementing SSS in naturalistic school settings and directions for future research are discussed. Keywords: Student Success Skills, naturalistic, metacognitive functioning, classroom curriculum, emotional arousal The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Student Success Skills (SSS) school counseling curriculum (Brigman, Campbell, & Webb, 2004; Brigman & Webb, 2012) delivered in a naturalistic setting on students’ metacognitive functioning. In this case, the authors use the term naturalistic setting to describe a typical school environment, one which lacks the additional supports (e.g., hiring national trainers) that would be present in a more controlled research study. SSS is an evidence-based, school counselor-delivered, social-emotional learning intervention that is designed to support students by teaching them three integral skill sets: (a) cognitive and metacognitive skills (e.g., goal setting, progress monitoring and memory skills); (b) social skills (e.g., interpersonal skills, social problem solving, listening and teamwork skills); and (c) self-regulation skills (e.g., managing attention, motivation and anger). Research has identified this curriculum as important in promoting students’ academic achievement and success in school (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2015; Webb & Brigman, 2006). SSS was designed based on reviews of educational psychology research literature that identified critical skills such as information processing, emotional self-management, and positive social skills needed for student success (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Greenberg et al., 2003; Hattie, Biggs, & Purdie, 1996; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1994; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). The curriculum (Brigman & Webb, 2012) can be delivered in two formats: (1) the SSS classroom program and (2) the SSS small group program (Brigman et al., 2004), both of which are intended for use with students in grades 4 through 12. SSS is a highly structured, manualized program that consists of weekly 45-minute lessons. The classroom format includes five lessons, while the small group program includes eight lessons. Both sets of weekly lessons are intended to be delivered in chronological order over the corresponding number of consecutive weeks. A 45-minute booster session is delivered once a month for 3 months in the spring. Developers of SSS designed the curriculum to follow a scripted, manualized format; implementers The Professional Counselor Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 33–44 http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org © 2017 NBCC, Inc. and Affiliates doi:10.15241/bz.7.1.33 Brett Zyromski is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. Melissa Mariani is an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. Boyoung Kim is a Research Professor at Korea University. Sangmin Lee is an Associate Professor at Korea University. John Carey is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This project was supported by an Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Demonstration Grant project from the Department of Education, no. S215E13422. Correspondence can be addressed to Brett Zyromski, Department of Educational Studies, Counselor Education, PAES Building, 305 W. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH, zyromski.1@osu.edu.