Clover Model
The Clover Model for Youth Development
The Clover Model is a youth development framework created by Dr. Gil Noam at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School as part of The PEAR Institute: Partnerships in Education and Resilience, a nonprofit that partners with school districts, out-of-school time programs, and youth-serving organizations to promote social-emotional development in the service of student engagement, academic achievement, and life success. Building on the disciplines of social and emotional learning (SEL) and resiliency, the Clover Model is a Developmental Process Theory of social-emotional development that describes the growth of emotional, interpersonal, and resiliency skills and competencies essential to success and thriving throughout life from infancy through adulthood.
Breakdown by Domain
Domain Key
Cognitive
Emotion
Social
Values
Perspectives
Identity
- Cognitive 40%
- Emotion 10%
- Social 20%
- Identity 30%
Key Features
Context & Culture
- Notes that the intention of the model is not to change a student's personality or temperament, but to help them balance their areas of strength and challenge them to develop in each domain
- Acknowledges that school, afterschool, and home are important and essential contexts where educators and practitioners can support the development of Clover domains
Developmental Perspective
- Acknowledges that development is unique for each individual and influenced by both biological and environmental factors, and each person's "clover" may look different
- Designed based on the theory that development across the four domains is intersecting, overlapping, and oftentimes complementary rather than sequential or linear
- Provides a developmental progression for each of the four domains across four stages (early childhood/preschool, middle childhood/elementary school, early adolescence/middle school, and late adolescence/high school) and notes which stage may be a particular "time of specialization" for each domain
Associated Outcomes
- Cites evidence linking non-academic factors in general to academic and life success
Available Resources
Support Materials
- PEAR offers site-based consultations and professional development trainings based on the Clover Model
- Various research articles published over the last decade show the history and evolution of the framework over time (e.g., Noam & Malti, 2008; Malti & Noam, 2009; Noam, Malti & Karcher, 2013; Noam & Triggs, 2016)
Programs & Strategies
- Describes general practices and activities that support development in each domain
- Advocates for a strength-based approach to helping students develop and strengthen competencies
- Currently piloting Clover Groups, which are Clover Model-based social-emotional development curricula designed to help youth build social-emotional competencies through relationships with adults and peers
Measurement Tools
- The Holistic Student Assessment (HSA) is a 61-item student self-report survey based on the Clover Model that measures the social-emotional development of young people in school and afterschool settings
- Several variations of the HSA are in development to capture the perspectives of teachers, afterschool practitioners, and family on youth's social-emotional development
Key Publications
- Noam, G.G. & Triggs, B. (2018). The Clover Model: A developmental process theory of social-emotional development. Retrieved from: https://www.thepearinstitute.org/clover-model-overview
- PEAR Institute website: https://www.thepearinstitute.org/
- Malti, T. & Noam, G. G. (2009). A developmental approach to the prevention of adolescent's aggressive behavior and the promotion of resilience. International Journal of Developmental Science, 3(3), 235-246. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3233/DEV-2009-3303
- Noam, G. G. & Malti, T. (2008). Responding to the crisis: RALLY's developmental and relational approach. New Directions for Youth Development, 2008(120), 31Ð55. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.284
- Noam, G. G., Malti, T. & Karcher, M. J. (2013). Mentoring relationships in developmental perspective. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), The handbook of youth mentoring (2nd ed., 99-115). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
- Noam, G. G. & Triggs, B. (2016). Positive developments during the transition to adulthood. In R. A. Scott & S. M. Kosslyn (Eds.), Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences, 1-15. Retrieved from http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781118900772.etrds0416