Measuring Emotion Socialization in Schools

• Published in: The Journal of school health 2013-10, Vol.83 (10), p.697-703
• Main Authors: Horner, Christy G., Wallace, Tanner L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child and adolescent health; Child development; Child Health; Childrens health; Communication Skills; Content Analysis; Educational environment; Emotional development; emotional health; Emotions; Female; General aspects; growth and development; Health; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Measurement; Measures (Individuals); Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Nursing; Peer Group; Perceptions; Prevention and actions; Psychological Patterns; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Reliability; School based; School environment; School Health Services - organization & administration; Schools; Schools - organization & administration; Social Behavior; Social Environment; Socialization; Student Development; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Teachers; Validity
• ISSN: 0022-4391; 1746-1561
• DOI: 10.1111/josh.12083

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Understanding how school personnel can best support students' development of communication skills around feelings is critical to long‐term health outcomes. The measurement of emotion socialization in schools facilitates future research in this area; we review existing measures of emotion socialization to assess their applicability to school‐based health studies. METHODS A content analysis of four emotion socialization measures was conducted. Inclusion criteria included: high frequency of use in prior research, established documentation of validity and reliability, and sufficient description of measurement procedures. RESULTS Four dimensions emerged as particularly salient to a measure's future relevance and applicability to school‐based health studies: (1) methods of measurement; (2) mode and agent of socialization; (3) type of emotion; and (4) structure versus function of socializing behavior. CONCLUSION Future measurement strategies should address (1) the structures of emotion socializing processes; (2) diverse socializing agents such as teachers, peers, and administrators; (3) the intended functions of such processes; (4) student perceptions of and responses to such processes; and (5) the complex interactions of these factors across contexts. Strategies attending to these components will permit future studies of school‐based emotion socializing processes to determine how they enhance health and reduce health risks.