Date of Award

4-2022

Rights

© 2022 Michelle Wright

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Ian Menchini

Second Advisor

Debra Welkley

Third Advisor

Kristin Fortin

Abstract

Integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into instructional practices and academic content has become a priority in many school districts (CASEL, 2018). While educators and clinical professionals alike have made strides in recognizing the importance of SEL, the level of implementation across districts varies greatly (CASEL, 2018). This qualitative program evaluation explored whether school staff at a public suburban high school in the Northeastern United States perceived the implementation of various interventions aimed at increasing SEL skills of students to be successful. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to identify which interventions had been implemented by a group of school professionals, the Intervention Team, and whether school staff perceived the implemented interventions to have positive, neutral, or negative impacts upon the SEL skills of students. Results indicated that 17 different interventions were mentioned at least once as being implemented by the Intervention Team over the course of interviews with eight participants. Interviewees expressed which interventions they felt positively impacted areas of social and emotional learning. Interviewees reported self-awareness to be positively impacted by six distinct interventions, self-management to be positively impacted by two distinct types of interventions, responsible decision- making to be positively impacted by four distinct types of interventions, and social awareness to be positively impacted by two types of interventions. Additionally, interventions perceived to have a negative impact were explored. Potential remedies to increase the likelihood of intervention success were also offered by staff. Several areas in need of further study were identified based on the results of the present study. The specific impacts of SEL interventions upon those with mental health diagnoses and interventions implemented to target areas identified as weaknesses in social and emotional learning after assessment of social and emotional learning competency area skills in individuals are recommended areas of future study.

Comments

Ed.D. Dissertation

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