Overcoming the Void

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a pedagogical approach that aims to support the whole student’s academic, social, and emotional growth. CASEL (2020) purports that SEL addresses inequity and empowers youth. While combating inequity is the ideal, the vast majority of SEL programs are not designed in accordance with the teaching practices of Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) and Trauma Informed Pedagogy (TIP). Consequently, SEL programs perpetuate inequity for marginalized and minoritized students when lacking cultural and trauma considerations (Boldt, et al., 2020). This study explored if and how teachers differentiate and integrate Social and Emotional Learning, Culturally Relevant Teaching, and Trauma Informed Pedagogy in their teaching to support Latine students' social and emotional needs. Qualitative interviews examined: 1) How do teachers in predominantly Latine, low-income elementary schools bridge existing Social and Emotional Learning programs to meet the unique needs of their Latine students? and 2) How do these adaptations draw from models for Culturally Relevant Teaching and/or Trauma Informed Pedagogy? This research was conducted during the 2020 world-wide pandemic of SARS-CoV-2. Teacher participants are from two elementary school sites in Northern California that serve predominantly Latine students. Most of the study pool of teachers placed SEL aside during the academic year to focus solely on academics. The research revealed that teachers found SEL and CRT to be relevant despite their own lack of SEL implementation, and that teacher knowledge on TIP is severely lacking. The research highlights the need for SEL to be integrated with Culturally Relevant Teaching and Trauma Informed Pedagogy to wholly serve Latine students.

Social emotional well-being has a direct effect on school performance. Students who engage in prosocial peer interactions and feel a connectedness to school are more likely to experience growth in their social emotional competence and academic performance. Often, students who live in high stress environments come to school with inadequate skills in this area, affecting their ability to self-regulate, attend, and interact with others. However, these skills can be directly taught to students and improved through regular instruction and practice. Mindfulness practices serve as a gateway skill for developing social emotional well-being and are becoming more commonly used in the school setting. Using the perspectives of elementary teachers in Pennsylvania who have attended professional development and thus implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms, an instrumental case study was conducted. The study explored how teachers describe the effects of mindfulness practices on their students' social emotional well-being, classroom climate, and overall academic performance. Nine elementary teachers in public schools in Pennsylvania participated in the study, which included a semi-structured interview and completion of a participant journal. All teachers had participated in at least eight hours of district-provided professional development series and had implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms at least three times per week. The interviews were analyzed to gain insight into the participants' perspectives of their professional development, their personal and professional experiences with mindfulness practices, and the perceived effects of mindfulness practices on the students in their classrooms. Four thematic findings emerged: (a) opportunities for professional development, (b) personal mindfulness practices of teachers, (c) social emotional learning and mindfulness practices in the classroom, and (d) the effects of mindfulness practices on students in the classroom setting. From the findings, four results were drawn regarding the implications of implementing mindfulness in school settings. First, teachers expressed the need and desire for ongoing, supported professional development. Secondly, the teacher serves as a model in the classroom, establishing an environment in which desired, prosocial behaviors and social emotional competence are modeled for students. Thirdly, the data analysis showed that the implementation of mindfulness practices can serve as a means to develop social emotional competence in students. Finally, the analysis of participant responses indicated that mindfulness practices had a positive effect on student learning and classroom interactions. The study concluded and recommended implementing mindfulness practices into school settings with potential benefits for administrators and teachers as well as students. This recommendation begins with recognizing the importance of social emotional learning for students and supporting both pre-service and practicing teachers in the development of their own social emotional well-being. Given the impact of social emotional learning on all facets of education, administrators and educational leaders should advocate for support and funding for programs that would support social emotional development in school settings. Recommendations for future research include expanding the study to additional sites or extended years of implementation, an in-depth examination of professional development opportunities and structure, consideration of the educational leader's role in encouraging social emotional learning and self-care for educators, analysis of mindfulness programs implemented with fidelity, and the addition of student and family perceptions of mindfulness practices into the current research base. Keywords: social emotional learning, mindfulness practices, prosocial classroom, emotional intelligence, professional development

Social-emotional learning (SEL) has gained attention in education. Awareness of student social-emotional health concerns increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and with this increased awareness, stressors for educators have also increased. However, educators have noted that, despite the significance of social-emotional needs and SEL program implementation in schools, there is a lack of effective educator preparation, knowledge, and support. Despite the growing attention on student social-emotional health, there is - to this researcher's knowledge - little research focused on educator needs when attempting to address student social-emotional health. The question for this research was: In what ways does collaboration and "build time" help to develop capacity for educators to design better social-emotional supports for students? The purpose of this action research study was to explore how collaboration and build time following training help to develop capacity for educators to design better social-emotional supports for students. Participants included seven educators who had taken part in the organization's training and who were separated into two levels. Using their organizational training and experiences, participants collaborated to co-construct materials. Participants completed individual and collaborative feedback forms, constructed materials for an organizational repository and their school sites, and took part in semi-structured interviews, which were member-checked. The researcher recorded notes and analytic memos throughout the study as well. The data collected was coded using in-vivo, process, and descriptive coding procedures and then analyzed. Findings from this study suggest that (1) supporting educators' learning through additional learning opportunities is necessary to help to address student needs, (2) collaboration is critical in education, and (3) supporting educators' well-being is critical. Study implications include (1) supporting and training educators to address student social-emotional health and development, (2) developing systems and establishing environments that ensure student and staff needs are met, which may build capacity for social-emotional learning, and (3) addressing professional and personal needs through collaborative opportunities beyond professional development and training opportunities. To fully address student social-emotional health and development, the lens cannot be solely on students, but, instead, the educational, social-emotional, and mental needs of educators must also be addressed.--Author's abstract

In this presentation I propose children’s literature as an effective tool to teach social emotional learning in the classroom. Social emotional learning has increasingly become a focus in many Canadian schools. Social emotional learning has been defined in many ways but is usually accepted to be a combination of developing children’s abilities to self-regulate their feelings, understand and display empathy and make responsible choices. These are skills that can benefit children in a variety of ways that includes increasing self-esteem, reducing conflicts with peers or family members and developing resiliency. Although social emotional skills like empathy are essential for the adequate moral development of children, there is little communication as to the ways qualities like empathy can become teachable skills. This poses a challenge to classroom teachers who are not receiving training or professional development from Social Emotional Learning organizations or research bodies but wish to incorporate elements of the theory into their existing practice and routines. Although some organizations offer scripted lessons and programming to be used in the classroom, programs alone may not be enough. Locally developed resources created for peer-to-peer sharing amongst teachers allow for greater integration and have the added benefit of being customized for each teacher’s unique learning community. This presentation will focus on the integration of social emotional learning at the classroom level using a children’s literature approach. I share some of the resources I have created for this purpose.

This case study examined the first two years of adult preparation or “readiness” for an elementary school’s adoption and implementation of a trauma-informed, social emotional learning (SEL) universal curriculum. SEL programming served as a key lever for improving the academic growth and achievement of students over a 3-year period. The primary objective of the current study was to identify the process used to increase the school’s capacity for implementing and sustaining an SEL program. Study 1 examined the utility of a needs assessment conducted in year 1 as a measure of school readiness, which included a leadership questionnaire, observations of school/classroom climate, and focus groups with school community leaders and teachers. Results informed school strengths and key areas for improving capacity to support an SEL program, including indicators of positive climate, expertise-building among teachers and staff, aligning resources and disciplinary policies, and identifying SEL standards. This information guided the types of professional development implemented in year 2. Using artifact review and focus groups, study 2 examined whether the year 2 professional development assisted in improving the targeted school capacities. Most areas indicated improvement, and the changes are likely critical first steps for effectively implementing and sustaining an SEL program.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a crucial role in developing students' emotional intelligence, social skills, and overall well-being. SEL focuses on five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Integrating SEL into English Language Teaching (ELT) aligns these competencies with language learning objectives, fostering improved communication skills and holistic student development. Research indicates that SEL enhances emotional and academic outcomes, increasing student motivation, self-confidence, and peer relationships. In ELT settings, SEL supports a positive learning environment by addressing students' emotional needs, which boosts engagement and reduces anxiety. Despite its benefits, SEL integration faces challenges such as curriculum constraints, limited time and resources, and varying levels of teacher preparedness. Effective integration requires balancing SEL with language goals, providing adequate professional development for teachers, and addressing diverse student needs. While integrating SEL into ELT poses challenges, it promotes resilience, a growth mindset, and better communication skills, contributing to overall student success. To fully capitalize on SEL, educators need ongoing training, and policymakers should support SEL within educational standards. Collaborative efforts among educators, researchers, and policymakers are essential to develop and sustain effective SEL practices, creating a more engaging and supportive learning environment for students. This paper focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the integration of SEL in ELT. Keywords: Social Emotional Learning, ELT Classroom, Opportunities, Challenges

This chapter reports on a follow-up study to the case studies reported in Chaps. 2, 3, and 4. As a result of the positive student feedback in the six case studies presented earlier, I decided to extend my research and investigate whether the student voice on teaching and learning in small classes might act as a trigger for teachers’ reflection and classroom practice. I wanted to see if it was possible to broker dialogue between teachers and students to co-construct appropriate pedagogy in small classes. I start the chapter by showing how the study builds on previous research that has succeeded in using the student voice as a prompt for teacher reflection on curriculum innovation. I then describe how I elicited the student voice on teaching and learning in their respective classes (all schools, students and teachers were different from those in my earlier case studies) and collated their suggestions for improving teaching and learning in their respective contexts. Students’ feedback on how to improve teaching and learning processes included some intriguing suggestions including their perceived need for more time to work on tasks in class, their belief that teachers needed to reduce the amount of teacher talk, their preference for more varied group work in class and better use of classroom space. Students also sought a wider variety of language tasks and more chances to engage in peer assessment practices. After triangulating interview data with classroom observations, teachers were provided with student interview transcripts and I elicited their reaction to the students’ feedback in interviews. Further observations were arranged to determine whether teachers could incorporate suggested changes into their teaching and I conclude this chapter by demonstrating how the student voice acted as a catalyst for teachers’ professional development.

Student voice has been heralded as a practice that provides all children with the opportunity to exercise their right to participate in matters affecting them. However, a common research concern is that not all student voices are consistently or comprehensively attended to. What is often under scrutinised is how this uneven distribution of opportunities that students have to voice may be felt by students, in particular by those who have the opportunity to voice. This paper examines a point of perplexity in data generated with members of student representative councils who participated in focus groups. These focus groups were conducted as part of a study that evaluated a primary school student voice programme facilitated by an external provider. We found that participants’ feelings about the ‘privilege’ of being involved in student voice practice belied their assertions about student voice as a ‘right’ that all students have. Claire Hemmings’ concept of affective dissonance is used to guide our thinking about this disparity between what students think and feel about voicing. We argue for the importance of attending to how students feel about voicing as how they feel may impact on their potential to act as agents of change.

Adventure-based Learning (ABL) is a sequence of highly structured physical activities and periods of reflection (i.e., debriefs) with the aim to promote personal and social development (Cosgriff, 2000). ABL has been used as a synonym in describing Adventure Education or adventure programming conducted within physical education (PE) programmes (Dyson & Sutherland, 2014). ABL has been shown to have a positive effect on intrapersonal and interpersonal relationship skills (IIRS) amongst students, such as enhanced leadership skills, patience, and working with others (Passarelli, Hall, & Anderson, 2010; Quezada & Christopherson, 2005). Adventure youth camps have also shown positive results in regard to promoting IIRS (e.g., improving self-esteem and friendship) among adolescent populations (Thurber, Scanlin, Scheuler, & Henderson, 2007). Within PE settings ABL has the potential to help students develop IIRS (Cosgriff, 2000; Dyson, 1995; Sutherland & Stuhr, 2014), yet our knowledge regarding student outcomes from ABL within structured PE is limited, reflecting a paucity of research in this area. This qualitative case study aimed to narrow this research gap through an investigation of middle school students' perceptions of their IIRS while involved in a 15-lesson ABL unit of instruction during PE. Conceptual framework The social emotional learning (SEL) literature was used to help frame this study and as a means to connect the importance of using ABL to promote IIRS. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL is the ability to problem solve, make responsible decisions, manage one's emotions, and build positive relationships with others (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2013). The study of SEL has risen since the 1990s and as such, many researchers believe SEL should be an integral part of the educational experience provided to our youth (Hoffman, 2009). The primary reason to teach and promote inclusion of SEL experiences within school is to help students acquire social skills (Cohen, 2006). SEL also plays a role in student academic success (Elias, Zins, Graczyk, & Weissberg, 2003). Specifically, CASEL has successfully examined and found advantages of using evidence-based SEL programmes to promote academic success within schools (CASEL, 2013). SEL instruction has also had positive effects on health, citizenship, IIRS, and improved happiness (Zins & Elias, 2006). Why use SEL to frame a study in ABL? There are similarities between the use of an ABL curriculum and SEL instruction that provide sound rationale for using the latter to frame this study. Studying ABL outcomes through the lens of SEL is supported by commonalities between these two types of programming. For example, the philosophical foundation of ABL is predicated on students learning how to develop community, cooperation, trust, and problem solving abilities (Frank, 2013), a commonality shared, and proven to be enhanced through SEL instruction (Zins & Elias, 2006). ABL and SEL specifically focus attention on the affective domain of learning and student learning outcomes associated with IIRS. Theoretically, both types of programming are designed to create community within the classroom and provide students with opportunities to work through issues of conflict (Cohen, 2006; Frank, 2013). ABL and SEL place high importance on providing students with the opportunity to talk and reflect on social-emotional experiences (Cohen, 2006; Stuhr & Sutherland, 2013; Zins & Elias, 2006). Other characteristics seen in ABL and SEL include the focus on creating emotionally safe, caring, and inclusive classroom environments in order to create ideal learning conditions for students (Cohen, 2006; Stuhr, Sutherland, Ressler, & Ortiz-Stuhr, in press). Thus, ABL can be seen as a type of SEL programme that focuses on promoting social and emotional competencies. …

A professional doctorate in education degree (EdD) is a degree where students contextualize professional knowledge into a “theoretical academic framework” (Quality Assurance Agency, 2015, p. 8). This study’s context is a 100% online EdD programme in the United Kingdom (UK) comprised of students throughout the world. Because online EdD programmes are relatively new, limited knowledge exists about the online EdD phenomenon from the students’ perspectives. In effect, the student voice about the online EdD is nearly absent in the literature but should be considered. How to fulfil the primary aim of the programme, to interrelate theory and professional practice and evoke social change (Costley, 2014), also has received limited attention. Two main aims of this study are: (1) To investigate the impacts of the online EdD learning experiences and outcomes on the participants’ personal and professional development through a phenomenologically-informed lens; and (2) To advance the student voice about learning experiences in online EdD programmes. This thesis is phenomenologically-informed, which enabled an in-depth investigation and a “Textural-Structural Description” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 121). The methods to collect data were interviews and document collection, which offered response triangulation and further analysis. The study results indicated that the participants experienced emotional and social challenges (e.g., cultural and linguistic disconnections and incremental disorienting dilemmas) that the transnational higher education (TNHE) virtual learning environment (VLE) sometimes exacerbated. Five of the eight participants’ stories contained evidence of each transformative learning stage (explored further in section 4.6) (Mezirow, 1991). The majority of the participants applied new knowledge from the online EdD programme to their professional contexts to effectuate social change, which is discussed in Chapters IV-V. This study draws attention to the online EdD phenomenon and furthers the discourse about the impacts of the online EdD on students’ personal and professional development. Key words: professional doctorate in education (EdD); phenomenologically-informed; transformative learning; student voice

This study aimed to understand how a multi-tiered social-emotional curriculum could be implemented at the middle school level and its impact on student mental health, academic progress, and school culture at a public school in the Northeast. Many secondary schools quickly remediate academic skills rather than examining a student's social-emotional competence and how it may impact their learning. Unfortunately, the lack of social-emotional learning instruction results in an increase in special education referrals. This data was of interest to this institution, as in past years, there has been an increase in special education referrals stemming from a lack of academic progress due to social-emotional deficits. An initial research cycle identified a need for more knowledge about the current social-emotional learning curriculum offered within the school and who was responsible for delivering teaching toward the CASEL competencies. The subsequent actions steps included a curriculum audit for the CASELcompetencies within the English Language Arts curriculum, ELA curriculum reform, and faculty professional development centered on what social-emotional learning is, how to teach the CASEL competencies within the content curriculum, and the feasibility of implementing a multi-tiered system of support centered on social-emotional learning. This study revealed that there were significant gaps in understanding the impact of social-emotional learning, a lack of clarity about who was responsible for teaching these competencies and how to go about this instruction, and ultimately, a great interest in implementing a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) centered on social-emotional learning to improve student well-being, academic performance, and school culture. Implications for this institution included further professional development, a whole school curriculum audit, and the implementation of an MTSS centered on RTI. --Author's abstract

Central to criticisms of teacher professional development is an insufficient focus on its impact including minimal evidence of changes to practice coupled with inadequate emphasis on student outcomes. This year-long study of one case study school investigates the impact of a seven-month professional development initiative designed to support teachers in implementing a reform approach to mathematics teaching. Data sources include teacher interviews, lesson observations, student focus group interviews, and document reviews. Findings suggest initially impoverished mathematics experiences that later begin to show signs of enrichment. Students’ insights into changing practice indicate that students want to be challenged more in mathematics and experience this challenge in inclusive learning environments where all students are valued and supported. A key finding is the effectiveness of student insights in increasing teachers’ engagement with the professional development initiative and in motivating teachers’ engagement in, and commitment to, the reform process. These findings highlight the complexity of the teacher change process, in particular, how cognitive dissonance plays a key role in changing practice. Central to creating this cognitive dissonance were students’ insightful perspectives about learning mathematics. This research contends that student voice can provide unique context-specific insights yet is under-utilised in professional development theory and practice.

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of social emotional learning and emotional intelligence (EI) on self-esteem in students. The study was conducted with a sample group of 236 voluntary participants from university students. The data were collected with the Social Emotional Learning Scale (SELS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue-SF). Mean, standard deviation, minimum-maximum-median, Mann-Whitney U, Spearman correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. According to the results obtained, students' social emotional learning, emotional intelligence and self-esteem differ according to age variable. In all three measures, the scores of students aged 21 and over were significantly higher than those of students aged 20 and under. In addition, a moderate relationship was found between social emotional learning and self-esteem, and between social emotional learning and emotional intelligence. There is a strong relationship between self-esteem and emotional intelligence. The model established in the study explains approximately 51% of students' self-esteem. Although age and social emotional learning were found to be a factor affecting self-esteem in univariate analysis, they lost their significance in multivariate analysis. However, emotional intelligence continues to maintain its effect.

The model of the HyFlex Learning Ecosystem is with social emotional learning to enhance digital emotional intelligence. The concept is based on the integration of digital learning ecosystems. HyFlex Learning and social emotional learning this research has the objective (1) To study and synthesize the conceptual framework of The HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social-Emotional Learning to Enhance Digital Emotional Intelligence. (2) To develop model of The HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social Emotional Learning to Enhance Digital Emotional Intelligence. (3) To study the suitability of The HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social Emotional Learning. Research hypothesis: The suitability of the model of The HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social Emotional Learning is at a very high level. The participants in this research include seven experts from various institutions, all of whom are specialized in the design and development of instruction models and instruction systems. The results, which are in consistence with the expectation of the researchers, show that (1) This research can serve as a guideline for developing a flexible integrated learning ecosystem that can enhance digital emotional intelligence, consisting of a 6-step social emotional learning process, integrated with the digital learning ecosystem and HyFlex Learning. (2) the overall suitability of the development to the model of the HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social Emotional Learning to Enhance Digital Emotional Intelligence (Overall composition) It is at a very high level (Mean = 4.98, S.D. = 0.06, IR = 0.00, Q.D. = 0.00), and (3) Overall, In conclusion, The results of the evaluation certify the suitability of using the model of HyFlex Learning Ecosystem with Social Emotional Learning to Enhance Digital Emotional Intelligence is suitable for actual use at a very high level (Mean = 4.79, S.D. = 0.57, IQR = 0.00, Q.D. = 0.00).

This presented research has three purposes: The first purpose of this study is to examine the power of middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills together as a predictor of their career development. The second purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to gender. Third purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to targeted high school type. The research group consisted of 263 middle school students (141 female, 116 male, 6 unknown). These students were studying in 3 middle schools in the center of a large city in the northwestern part of Turkey and their ages ranged between 10-15 (X̄=12.31; sd=1.07). The research data were collected by applying the Chilhood Career Development Scale, Social Emotional Learning Scale for Adolescents, Daily Life Decision Making Scale and Personal Information Form. The research data were analysed using multiple linear regression analysis, t test, and one-way ANOVA. The research results showed that middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills scores together accounted for a significant proportion of the variance 0.19% of the career development scores of middle school students. The results showed that the career development score mean of students targeted Anatolian high school were higher than those aiming for science high school and vocational and technical high school. There was not significantly differences in career development scores of the students according to gender. The research results were discussed based on the relevant literature, provided important implications for the theoretical and practical literature on career development, social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills and suggestions were presented for future theoretical and practical research.