Who Are You (WAY) Online Social and Emotional Learning Program for Adolescents

NCT07780864 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: WAY-RCT-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study evaluated the Who Are You (WAY) program, a 10-week online social and emotional learning program designed for adolescents. The program aims to help young people better understand and manage emotions, regulate their behavior, stay motivated in learning, cope with stress, and develop goal-directed skills. A total of 120 adolescents took part in the study, including 60 middle-school students and 60 high-school students. Within each educational group, participants were randomly assigned either to the WAY program or to a waitlist group that continued with their usual education. The WAY program combined weekly one-to-one online sessions with structured independent learning activities. Participants completed assessments before and after the 10-week period. The main outcomes were self-regulation, emotional intelligence, academic motivation, and perceived stress. Academic achievement was also assessed as a secondary educational outcome. The study tested the hypothesis that adolescents assigned to the WAY program would show greater improvement in social-emotional functioning than adolescents assigned to the waitlist condition.

Conditions

Adolescent Development

Keywords

Social and Emotional Learning; Adolescents; Self-Regulation; Emotional Intelligence; Academic Motivation; Perceived Stress; Academic Achievement; Digital Intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Change From Baseline in Perceived Self-Regulation Scale Score

  Self-regulation in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 16-item Perceived Self-Regulation Scale. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Total scores are calculated by summing item responses, with higher scores indicating greater perceived self-regulatory capacity.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Self-Regulation Scale for Adolescents Score

  Self-regulation in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 11-item Self-Regulation Scale for Adolescents. The scale assesses goal setting, planning, monitoring, emotional awareness, and behavioral control using a 5-point response format. Higher total scores indicate greater self-regulatory competence.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form Score

  Trait emotional intelligence was assessed in both cohorts using the 15-item Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF). Items are rated on a 7-point scale. Negatively worded items are reverse scored, and higher total scores indicate greater perceived emotional competence.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Academic Motivation Scale Score in Middle-School Studen

  Academic motivation in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 28-item Turkish adaptation of the Academic Motivation Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale. Total scores are calculated after appropriate reverse scoring, with higher scores indicating stronger academic motivation.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Academic Motivation Scale Score in High-School Students

  Academic motivation in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 22-item Turkish Academic Motivation Scale. Items assess intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation and are rated on a 7-point scale. Higher total scores indicate stronger academic motivation after appropriate reverse scoring.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Perceived Stress Scale for Children Score

  Perceived stress in the middle-school cohort was assessed using the 9-item Perceived Stress Scale for Children. Items are rated on a 4-point frequency scale. Total scores are calculated by summing item responses, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in Perceived Stress Scale

  Perceived stress in the high-school cohort was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Items are rated from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very often). Positively worded items are reverse scored before calculating the total score, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change From Baseline in Middle School Academic Achievement Test Score

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

• Change From Baseline in High School Academic Achievement Test Score

  Baseline and post-intervention, within 1 week after completion of the 10-week program

Study Arms (2)

WAY Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to this arm received the 10-week Who Are You (WAY) social and emotional learning program in addition to their usual education. The program included one individual synchronous online session per week, followed by structured asynchronous learning activities. Each weekly module comprised approximately 30 minutes of synchronous instruction and 15-20 minutes of asynchronous activities.

Behavioral: Who Are You (WAY) Social and Emotional Learning Program

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to this arm continued their usual school education and did not receive WAY sessions, facilitator contact, or intervention materials during the 10-week evaluation period. They were offered access to the WAY program after completion of the post-intervention assessment.

Interventions

Who Are You (WAY) Social and Emotional Learning Program BEHAVIORAL

WAY is a manualized, digitally supported social and emotional learning program designed for adolescents. It was delivered individually over 10 consecutive weeks. Each weekly module combined a synchronous online session with structured asynchronous activities. The program addressed self-awareness, emotional understanding and regulation, academic motivation, goal setting, planning, self-monitoring, stress management, adaptive coping, empathy, communication, collaborative problem solving, and maintenance of acquired skills. Sessions used guided discussion, reflective questioning, experiential activities, structured exercises, individualized reflection, and goal setting.

WAY Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Enrollment in Grades 5-12.
• Sufficient proficiency in Turkish to understand the program content and complete the study measures.
• Reliable internet access and access to an appropriate digital device for participation in the online program.
• Ability to engage with the program and complete the study measures independently, with reasonable support where required.
• Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian and written assent from the adolescent.

You may not qualify if:

• Concurrent participation in another structured social and emotional learning program.
• A cognitive, sensory, linguistic, or functional difficulty that prevented meaningful participation or independent completion of the study measures despite reasonable accommodations.
• An acute psychological crisis or serious risk requiring immediate professional assessment or clinical support.
• Failure to complete the baseline assessment or withdrawal before randomization.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Melih Dikmen: lead

Study Sites (1)

Fırat University

Elâzığ, 23119, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Self-Control

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants and intervention facilitators were aware of treatment allocation due to the nature of the intervention. Post-intervention outcome assessments were conducted by an assessor who was not involved in intervention delivery and did not have access to the allocation files. Participants were instructed not to disclose their assigned condition during assessment.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Participants were enrolled in two developmentally distinct cohorts (middle school and high school) and randomized separately within each cohort in a 1:1 ratio to the WAY intervention or waitlist control. Both study arms were followed in parallel from baseline to post-intervention assessment.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 18, 2026
• First Posted: August 24, 2026
• Study Start: December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: March 27, 2026
• Study Completion: March 27, 2026
• Last Updated: August 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be available following publication of the primary study report and will remain available without a predefined end date.
• Access Criteria: Data will be publicly available without individual application or approval requirements through an open research repository for research and verification purposes.

Locations

TU (1)