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Social-Emotional Learning Promotes Student Success in K-12 Schools

Department of Graduate Teacher Education, Concordia University St Paul

ED 590, Conducting Research and Completing Capstone, Cohort 409

Instructor: Professor Diane Kinneberg

Second Reader:

October 12th, 2024

Table of Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………....3

Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………………………………...4

Importance of the Topic………………………………………...…………………………4

Scope of Research…………………………………………………………………………5

Research Question………………………...………………………………………………6

Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………………….6

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………..1

Chapter Two: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………..1

The Significance of Social Emotional Learning…………………………………………..1

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum and Interventions………..………………………1

Outcomes of Social Emotional Learning………………………………………………….1

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...1

Chapter Three: Discussion and Application………………………………………………………1

Insights Gained from the Research………………………………………………………..1

Application……………………………………………………………...…………………1

Future Studies………………………………………………………………..……………1

Conclusion……………………………………………………….………………………..1References…………………………………………………………………………………………1

Appendix?…………………………………………..………………………………………1

Abstract

The literature review explores how to best support the social emotional growth needed for students to be successful. Students from elementary school through high school are experiencing higher numbers of mental health concerns. Through the use of qualitative and quantitative studies, effective strategies were reviewed to see how Social Emotional Learning in education can lead to effective student outcomes. The research shared Comment by Sadie Hedger: This is a great start!

How does Social Emotional Learning Promote Student Success?

Chapter One: Introduction

American poet E.E. Cummings stated,“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experiences that reveals the human spirit”( 50 Best Personal Growth Quotes for Everyday Evolution, 2024b).When people have thought about school, many have assumed that students are only learning reading and math. For many students, school should not be a place where they learn academics but to learn more about themselves and how to navigate social interactions with their peers and adults in an array of situations.

There has been an increase in the concern for students' ability to manage their emotions. Students K-12 are reported higher numbers of anxiety, loneliness, and feeling disconnected. The symptoms of poor mental health can be especially true for students who have struggled with trauma. Students who have struggled with physical and emotional trauma their home environment are burdened by the weight of issues are unable to leave the feeling outside of the classroom. The lack of age appropriate interpersonal skills have steered them away from making connections and distract them from academic learning. To support the growth of students' emotional intelligence and academic growth, Social-Emotional Learning curriculum has been taught in schools. Comment by Sadie Hedger: If you have a statistic, I think this would potentially be a good place to enter one

Importance of Topic

Educators have spoken on the issues of students lacking interpersonal skills. Students were expected to respond to and regulate their emotions in a way that was safe and socially appropriate. “Both social anxiety and social withdrawal represent major problems in adolescence that interfere with personal and social functioning and cause deep distress and unease and, therefore, the prevention of social anxiety and social withdrawal in adolescence has attracted growing interest from researchers and practitioners.” (Sousa et al., 2023) Students were in need of direct instruction about Social Emotional Learning to help them become more self aware and recognize others. Social Emotional Learning being taught in educational settings was important because it has provided the essential strategies needed to be successful in the classroom.

Scope of Research

This research study explored a variety of peer-reviewed studies to understand if Social Emotional Learning was critical to successful student outcomes. Some of the studies included teachers who are trained in SEL curriculum and other studies surveyed students about their interpersonal skills over time. One study examined a group of six, seventh, and eighth grade students from New Jersey. The students were asked to nominate students within the school for six qualities that defined key elements of youth leadership: Making the community better, being compassionate, Being a good communicator, being a source of good problem solving advice and forgiveness.(Xu et al., 2022) This study includes information about the Landmark Study about Adverse Childhood Experiences. The ACE study was conducted in 1998 in the city of San Diego with over 45,000 adult participants. An additional study focused on Kindergartners and first graders self regulation and was impacted by implementation of SEL. Comment by Sadie Hedger: I'm wondering if the specifics of the study need to be included here, or if that can be done in the literature review and this area is more general such as: Studies included students of all ages ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade. Then maybe jump into the themes?

There are multiple themes within the literature review. The first theme is Significance of Social Emotional Learning. This was important because it describes what social emotional learning is and how it can help build student self worth and create a positive environment in schools. The second theme that emerged from the research was Social Emotional Learning Curriculum and Interventions. This was important to learn because educators must know what programs work best for students’ and how to practice the skills with their students. The final theme explored is outcomes of Social Emotional Learning for students. Teaching students emotional intelligence and how it can help support them be their best selves is imperative to the success of students.

Research Question

In connection to Concordia’s essential question In light of what is known about how children learn, how shall professional educators best promote resilience and recovery for the children and their families who have experienced traumatic events? This literature review will explore how Social Emotional Learning(SEL) in elementary schools promotes student success in grades K-12. All students have come to us with invisible backpacks. Those backpacks are filled with a collection of events that have happened over time. For some students, their collective experiences have been filled with traumatic events. According to the landmark ACES study, the long term impacts of abuse and household dysfunction during childhood can have negative outcomes on health, quality of life, and mortality.(Felitti et al., 1998)add page number Comment by Sadie Hedger: Great connection! You could even include a statement to connect to resilience such as: SEL promoting student success and providing/building the skills that lead toward resilient individuals

Definition of Terms

Adverse Childhood Experiences Study is a landmark study that looks at the relationship between potentially traumatic events in childhood(age zero-17)and how they are linked to long term health issues. (Felitti et al., 1998) add page number Comment by Sadie Hedger: unbold

Social Emotional Learning is the focus of nurturing the social and emotional awareness skills of students(Collie et al., 2012) add page number

School Climate is determined by the quality of relationships between individuals at a school, the teaching and learning that takes place, collaboration between teachers and administrative staff, and the support present in a particular school.(Collie et al., 2012)-add page number 1 to citation

Trauma-Informed Practices refers to a range of practices that ‘realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery.(Southall et al., 2023) add page number

Summary

The qualitative and quantitative research of the literature review will provide information that can help educators meet the social and emotional needs of their students. There is an ever growing concern about the mental health of k-12 students and many educators are turning to SEL to build those skills. The themes of the literature review will be helpful to schools who are ready to train teachers in SEL or dive deeper into implementing what they know. Comment by Sadie Hedger: This is a well written and throughout first draft! I am impressed with how much you have completed already! Great work!

Chapter 2: Literature Review

This literature review will highlight important themes that contribute to the understanding of How does Social Emotional Learning promote Success in K-12 Schools. Schools have become more aware of the mental health needs of students. The themes that became apparent while researching were significance of Social Emotional Learning, social emotional learning curriculum and interventions, and outcomes of social emotional learning.

Significance of Social Emotional Learning or Why students need SEL orBenefits of Social Emotional Learning..theme 1)

A quantitative research about ACEs studied how childhood traumas affect students into adulthood.The Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) Study was conducted 1995-1997 in Oakland California. The research found in the study is considered a landmark study because of the significance it has provide to medical professionals, government officials, and educators. The study surveyed 9,508 adults asking questions about 7 categories. The seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were studied: psychological, physical, or sexual abuse; violence against mother; or living with household members who were substance abusers, mentally ill or suicidal, or ever imprisoned.(Felitti et al., 1998 p.245)

The ACEs study concluded that adults who answered yes to four or more categories, had a significant increase with drug abuse, alcoholism, depression, and suicide. The study also showed links to physical health ailments like heart disease and cancer.(Felitti et al., 1998, p.245). This landmark study is important because it shows the correlation of childhood trauma and outcomes of the children when they get older. Students who struggle with trauma need education around SEL to build resilience and provide tools to do well in school. This study provides essential foundational information on trauma and how the ACEs information can be used to explain the need for SEL in schools.

A qualitative study done in SouthEast Georgia described the need for trauma informed practices due to the critical need for teachers and other educational professionals to recognize the symptoms of trauma in students the associated behaviors of trauma-affected students, and instructional and environmental strategies for addressing these to support student success which is trauma informed pedagogy.(Rahimi et al., 2021 p.2) This information is relevant because to know what SEL curriculum may work, understanding the need for it can help educators decide which evidence based program can best fit the needs of the students.

The study suggested that educators needed to raise their awareness of the impact of trauma on students lives. Some of the behaviors that were identified by educators were aggression, bullying, self-harm, negative peer relationships, and antisocial behaviors. Other students struggled with anxiety, depression, and poor school performance.(Rahimi et al., 2021 p.5). The data suggest that it was harder for teachers to make the connection between students who are struggling with being victims of bullying. The study indicates that many teachers assume that getting picked on or being bullied is part of the educational experience. This is also true for LGBTQIA students. The teachers lacked understanding the severity of bullying and the affects it is having on the lgbtqia students.(Rahimi et al., 2021 p.5)

The research revealed that teachers lack knowledge related to the impact of trauma and trauma informed practice. They are not prepared to implmenent trauma informed classroom management and believe in the need for trauma informed professional development.(Rahimi et al., 2021 p.6)

The next study explored ways to help students who struggle with social anxiety. There are teenage students who struggle with social withdrawal and anxiety and it has affected their lives in a variety of ways like diffucult peer relationships, and a difficulties in cooperating with others.(Sousa et al., 2023,pg 3) Teenage students who are struggling with these issues are suffering with problems that are hindering them from growing socially and academically.

Students whose mental health is stunting their social development have shown lower levels of self esteem, have a harder time being accepted by their peers, and creating health platonic and romantic relationships.This can lead to prolonged symptoms of their behavior like depression, and anxiety. Students who are struggling with connecting with their peers which can lead to poor academic achievement(Sousa et al., 2023,pg 3)

Conclusion Paragraph

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum and Interventions(2nd Theme)

Social Emotional learning has been identified as a way to support students in their overall mental health, social development, and academic success. There are different types of social emotional learning curriculum that can be used in public schools. There also needs to be time for educators to be trained in curriculum so that they are able to implement the different strategies to support students. The three evidence based curriculums that will be assessed are SELF for k-first grade, RULER which supports K-12 students, and CASEL which provides curriculum and evaluations for K-12.

The first article reviewed was about providing SEL support for K-1 students who are at risk for emotional behavioral disorders.Researchers recognized the need to have SEL curriculum that would be helpful for students moving from preschool to kindergarten. For students to have successful first years in elementary school, certain skills self regulatory skills like emotional awareness, social provlem solving, and building positive relationships can contribute to the student’s success in the first years of school.(Daunic et al., 2023a, pg 18) To support students’ growth in this area, SELF curriculum was adopted to teach students SEL skills.

One of the observations made was there is a link between language development and emotion in children. Young children are at risk for poor social emotional adjustment posed by early language interventions.(Daunic et al., 2023a, pg 18) It was also reported that self talk and the ability to be able to label the emotions can have a major impact on self regulation. To support the young scholars, The Social-Emotional Learning Foundations Intervention was introduced.

The Social-Emotional Learning Foundations(SELF) Intervention is a K-Grade 1 curriculum that support students who are EBD(emotional behavior disorder). The lessons encourage students to use SEL vocabulary, self talak, and critical thinking. This is done by an educator who is modeling what it sounds like to have effective SEL skills and to be critical thinkers.(Daunic et al., 2023a, pg 18) Researchers wanted to verify if improving languagee skills could help students be more successful by exploring if interventions on SEL would directly or indirectly affect student outcomes.

The study researched focused on 52 elementary title 1 schools and 1,154 kindergarten adn first grade students. To prepare for the research, teacher had to assess their students who were at risk for emotionall or behavior struggles. Those students would be taught 1 20 minute lesson. SELF aligned with CASEL(Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotkional Learning) to identify the five critical areas of emotional skills: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and decision making. Through lesson strategies that referred to SEL words, critical thinking, and self talk, teachers were able to create a priority of discussing the CASEL acronym.

The third study reviewed the article Multilevel Associations Between School-Wide Social–Emotional Learning Approach and Student Engagement Across Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. The article discusses the framework CASEL. Casel stands for Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning(Yang et al., 2018,p. 46) CASEL is focused on 5 areas of social and emotional growth: Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Bear and May describe the importance of teaching SEL schoolwide because it is helpful to students building relationships with adults in the building and their peers.

The last article that focuses on implementing SEL into classrooms is Measuring Social and Emotional Learning Implementation in a research-practice partnership(RPP). This article dives into the barrier of not having enough research on implementing SEL into classrooms. This peer reviewed article questions how much SEL needs to be implemented to see results and how SEL implementation measures can be developed and used in efficient ways to support SEL practices.(Grant et al., 2023) The researchers chose to focus on four qualities of effective SEL programs:1) sequenced training approach, (2) active forms of learning, (3) focused and adequate time spent on skill development, and (4) explicit learning goals(Grant et al., 2023 p.2). This study looks at different types of SEL that are used in schools.

Research -practice partnerships allow collaborations between researchers and practitioners to improve education by conducting mutually beneficial research. (Grant et al., 2023 p.3) This partnership has been helpful in researching SEL. One SEL RPP is the Collaborative Districts Initiative of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning(CASEL). The study gave insight that CASEL practices were working to help build SEL skills for kids of various backgrounds(Grant et al., 2023).

RULER is a SEL framework that focuses on interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. RULER focuses on intelligence skills like recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions(Grant et al., 2023 p.4) This framework first teaches educators the emotions that teachers and students feel are valid and should be appreciated. The program calls for educators to model the skills desired by students and to help students develop. The program isn’t taught in isolation but should be integrated into the everyday routine of teaching and learning, but infusing it into the classroom(Grant et al., 2023).

Collection of the implementation of CASEL and RULER was imperative to understand how implementation by teachers affects SEL. Teachers shared information anonymously which protected their privacy but provided information about student outcomes(Grant et al., 2023 p.7) Some of the questions surveyed about implementation were Anchors Knowledge, Fidelity, Principal Support, and perceived self-efficacy(Grant et al., 2023 p.7).

Social Emotional Outcomes(Third Theme)

How SEL is implemented into schools is imperative to successful outcomes. The study The formation and functions of school‐based trauma‐leadership teams: A preliminary qualitative study researched Trauma Leadership teams(TLTs) and understand how they’re created, the benefits of a TLT, and what role they play in the success of trauma informed practices.

The article starts with describing children with ACEs and their potential outcomes. ACEs was a study that correlated the more traumatic experiences a person has between age 0-17, the likelihood of physical and emotional health problems can occur. Such challenges include difficulties with interpersonal relationships, self‐regulation, social competence, and academic development, as well as poorer academic outcomes and greater risk for developing mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety(Liang et al., 2023b) Students who struggle with symptoms of ACEs often display unwanted or negative behaviors. Traditional disciplinary decisions made by schools have often led to more behavioral problems and increased student problems.To support scholars with ACEs, this research team decided to analyze four areas of TLT teams:Formation of TLTs, Benefits and Outcomes of TLTs, Trauma‐Responsive Care Competency, and Growth Areas of TLT.

The formation of TLTs consisted of a diverse group of professionals who were invested in trauma informed care and better ways to react to their students. The professionals chosen for the TLT were chosen by the leaders in their schools. One stated, “I'm assuming I was asked to be on the team because of the length of time I've been here and the job that I do.” (Liang et al., 2023b).

The benefits of this study came back positive. One participant stated, “We get a lot of different people talking and how [trauma‐ responsive practices] work for them and how different ideas work for them.”(Liang et al., 2023b). The participants reported they felt happy being on a team that helped the school. The participants seemed to agree that collaboration was essential in establishing trauma informed care.

The TLT study describes team members learning about Trauma Responsive Care(TRC) and how to best implement the strategies in their school. The team shared about their personal experiences of using these strategies and the outcomes for students. Participants stated that, “We're really trying to put in some solid practices of identifying emotions and having empathy and really identifying how your brain is working and how it works under stress.”(Liang et al., 2023b).

The group identified time as an area of growth. They felt the more they met, the more they could tackle problems that would come up between meetings. The educators participating in the study also discussed the issue of discussing the same things over and over again. One participant shared that they “feel like sometimes we talk about a lot of the same things. Kind of repetitive. And it hasn't moved on to like the next step or what's the next topic related to what we've been talking about to keep moving forward.” (Liang et al., 2023b).

In the next study, Implementing Social-Emotional Learning in the Elementary Classroom analyzed the benefits of SEL in schools. The research study promotes the use of SEL in schools to help build social and emotional awareness in schools. This qualitative study investigated noted,

When students’ social-emotional needs are prioritized, they are more likely to respond to learning within the school environment. This is especially true for students who have experienced trauma, or adverse childhood experiences, who tend to struggle with the typical needs of the school day.”(Kaspar & Massey, 2022b, p. 642).

The Masey Kapper study also includes opposing views on SELF taught in schools.

Some may argue that SEL takes away from individuality and creates a uniformed response among children(Kaspar & Massey, 2022b, p. 642). While others who oppose the benefits of SELF report that the funding should go to core academics rather than SEL curriculum(Kaspar & Massey, 2022b, p. 642). Using opposing views in the paper can help the thesis stronger by using research.

According to the study by Yang, teaching SEL school wide helps build relationships with adults because students feel more connected and safer when they are able to express themselves safely with educators. SEL can be the bridge that students and teachers can find ways to communicate in a safe way and learn strategies to help their emotional development. According to the social–cognitive and self-efficacy theories, students’ perceptions of their relationships with teachers have a significant impact on their interest in school and their self-efficacy, which in turn promote their behavioral and emotional engagement in school(Yang et al., 2018,p. 46).

References

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