Tuning in to Kids in Schools: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Teacher Emotion Socialization Intervention in Norwegian Elementary Schools

This matched-pair cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated the Tuning in to Kids in Schools (TIKiS) intervention to improve teachers’ emotional competence, emotion socialization, and classroom climate. Participants were 397 teachers from 20 Norwegian elementary schools, randomized to intervention or control. TIKiS included leadership support, a seminar for Grade 1 – 7 staff, and small-group sessions for Grade 1 - 4 teachers delivered by certified professionals. Measures were teacher self-reports of emotion socialization, emotional competence, wellbeing and the CLASS observation of climate. Compared with controls, intervention teachers showed significant improvements in Emotion Coaching (d = 0.25), Positive Climate (d = 0.38) and Teacher Sensitivity (d = 0.31), and reductions in Emotion Dismissing (d = -.41) at six months. No significant changes were found for teacher emotional competence or wellbeing. Findings support this emotion-focused intervention as a way to enhance teacher emotion socialization and classroom emotional climate, key factors in children’s school-based development.