Social Supports

Factor Connections

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How Social Supports connects to...

Social Supports are the perception and presence of a support network available to help if needed. People are social creatures, and our happiness is in part based on having supportive friends and family. The power of Social Supports extends to learning: A student's perception of the strength of the support they have, even if they do not end up calling upon their supports, is a key contributor to their academic success, including learning to read.

Main Ideas

Key sources of Social Supports include parents, friends, classmates, teachers, and other school resources and staff. These sources offer different types of support to a student:

Emotional support by caring for and showing compassion to the student;
Appraisal support by providing the student with helpful feedback;
Instrumental support by contributing resources such as time and money; and
Information support by providing information and advice.

Social Supports can be beneficial even when students do not take advantage of the support. Rather it is important that students perceive that these Social Supports are available to them.

Unfortunately, children can experience traumatic events that erode their actual and/or perceived Social Supports. Situations that can erode their parent/guardian Social Supports include having parents/guardians who divorce or separate, pass away, go to jail, experience problems with substance abuse, or have a significant mental illness. Situations that can erode their friend and classmate Social Supports include being a victim of bullying, including cyberbullying, and moving to a new school.

Building positive relationships with other sources of Social Supports, such as with a teacher or family friend, can diminish the negative effects of this kind of trauma. In addition, positive relationships can diminish the negative effects of stress hormones released after others types of trauma.

Learn More

Read the full annotated bibliography of our Social Supports research.
Building Blocks for Learning: A framework from Turnaround for Children
Family Resources & Relationships: Subtopic that explores research on the effects of parenting, SES, and stress on children's wellbeing and achievement on Digital Promise's Research Map
Learning Communities: Subtopic that includes research on communities of learners on Digital Promise's Research Map
Parent Involvement: Subtopic that includes research on the connection between parent/family involvement and student achievement on Digital Promise's Research Map
Supporting Language Development through Social Interaction: Module by Sanford Inspire
Supporting Students Who Have Experienced Trauma: Digital Promise Video that discusses the importance of designing schools that provide the physical and emotional safety to support children who have endured adverse experiences

View Measures and References

Research-Based Strategies For This Factor

Building Trusting Relationships

Building positive and trusting relationships with learners allows them to feel safe; a sense of belonging; and that their academic, cognitive, and social and emotional needs are supported.

Dialogic Reading

With this interactive technique, teachers help students become storytellers by listening and questioning.

Family Engagement

Students are more likely to come to school when families feel like a valued part of the community.

Free Choice

Free choice supports learner interests and allows more complex social interactions to develop.

Gallery Walk

As students walk through stations working in small groups, the social and physical nature of the learning supports deeper understanding.

Guided Inquiry

In guided inquiry, teachers help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning.

Incorporate Students' Cultural Practices

Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps all students feel like valued members of the community.

Jigsaw

As students work with and process information by discussing, organizing, and sharing it together, they deepen their understanding.

Learning Strategy & Tool "Fair"

To promote acceptance of learning diversity, students explore learning tools and strategies to see how they work and why they and others might use them.

Literacy Centers

Literacy centers with reading games, manipulatives, and activities support learner interests and promote the development of more complex reading skills and social interactions.

Multiple Display Boards/Screens

Multiple display spaces promote collaboration by allowing groups to share information easily as they work.

Multiple Writing Surfaces

Multiple writing surfaces promote collaboration by allowing groups to share information easily as they work.

Non-intensive HLE Intervention Program

A parent evening meeting about how to support literacy at home with one follow-up meeting with each family has shown strong results for students' reading development.

Participatory & Partner Read-alouds

Reading aloud allows students to hear and practice reading and fluency skills.

Physical Activity & Recess

Research shows physical activity improves focus and creativity.

Predictability: Environment & Structure

Maintaining consistent classroom routines and schedules ensures that students are able to trust and predict what will happen next.

Reciprocal Teaching

When students explain to others, they deepen their understanding and gain confidence in their learning.

Think-Pair-Share

Students develop reading skills by listening to and speaking with others in informal ways.

Reading PK-3

Social Supports

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