Date of Conferral

9-26-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Susana Verdinelli

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a school-based educational intervention aimed at helping children and youth develop competencies to promote positive academic growth, behavior, and development. The success of the SEL intervention depends on several factors beyond the curriculum, including the role of teachers, the quality of the SEL implementation, and the classroom and school context. While research on the teachers’ role in successful SEL implementation has been conducted, less is known about how SEL is implemented in an impoverished and diverse school context in British Columbia in Northern Canada. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore Northern British Columbia elementary school teachers’ experiences and beliefs about implementing SEL practices and programs in their school and classroom. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the collaboration for academic, social, and emotional learning conceptualization of SEL and on Schonert-Reichl’s three-component SEL framework. Semistructured interviews with 12 elementary school teachers who had experience implementing SEL constituted the data for this study. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the content of the interviews. The results of this study underscored the significance of SEL in promoting student well-being and academic success, the role of ongoing professional development for educators, and the necessity for collaborative efforts to overcome implementation hurdles. The findings of this study have the potential to be used for positive social change in the creation and implementation of best practices for SEL and in providing a better understanding of how teachers juggle implementing SEL in the context of the reality of their diverse student population. British

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