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

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.