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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Psychol.

Sec. Educational Psychology

This article is part of the Research TopicEmotional Intelligence in Educational Psychology: Enhancing Learning and DevelopmentView all 34 articles

Tuning in to Kids in Schools (TIKiS): A Protocol for Evaluating an Emotion Socialization Intervention for Teachers in Norwegian Elementary Schools

Provisionally accepted
Ada KoleiniAda Koleini1Frederik F. SkoeFrederik F. Skoe1,2Christiane E. KehoeChristiane E. Kehoe3Thormod IdsoeThormod Idsoe4Hilde E. RandgaardHilde E. Randgaard5Hanne M. OlsenHanne M. Olsen5Ragnhild H. MjangerRagnhild H. Mjanger6Evalill BølstadEvalill Bølstad1Sophie S. HavighurstSophie S. Havighurst1,3*
  • 1Department og Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • 2Frogner District, Oslo Kommune, Oslo, Norway
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Mindful: Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  • 4Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • 5Pedagogical Psychological Services, Oslo Kommune, Oslo, Norway
  • 6Health Agency, Oslo Kommune, Oslo, Norway

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Emotional competence allows children to deal with emotional challenges and is a key predictor for mental health and academic outcomes in children. Therefore, improving emotional competence in children is an important endeavor. This protocol outlines how the universal intervention Tuning in to Kids in Schools (TIKiS) will be implemented, and the ways the effectiveness and implementation measures of TIKiS will be evaluated. TIKiS consists of six 1.5hr group sessions aiming to improve the emotional competence and emotion socialization practices of teachers. Using randomized controlled trials, 20 schools in Oslo, Norway participated in a study using TIKiS as either an intervention or waitlist control school. The current study is a collaboration between the University of Oslo, and the municipal agencies that work closely with the schools, to create a sustainable continuation of TIKiS after the study is over. By targeting teachers rather than parents, the competence from TIKiS can remain in the schools and reach more children than a parenting intervention.

Keywords: Emotion coaching, Emotion Dismissing, emotion socialization, Emotional support, intervention, School, Teacher, Tuning in to Kids

Received: 25 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Feb 2026.

Copyright: © 2026 Koleini, Skoe, Kehoe, Idsoe, Randgaard, Olsen, Mjanger, Bølstad and Havighurst. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Sophie S. Havighurst

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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