Date of Conferral

3-6-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jesus Tanguma

Abstract

Teacher led social–emotional learning programs are implemented in a variety of ways to mitigate the effects of school bullying, however little attention has been paid to their academic impact on middle school students. The theories and/or concepts that grounded this study include Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) ecological theory and social cognitive theory. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the impact of Second Step, a social–emotional learning program with 16,166 middle school students. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between student gender, ethnicity, Second Step program participation, and program fidelity on the students’ mathematics and reading assessment scores. Results indicated that both the mathematics model F(4, 16116) = 1033.18, p = <.001, R2 = .204. and the reading model F(4,16161) = 588.295, p <.001, R2 = .127 were significant. Student gender, ethnicity, and program participation significantly contributed to the mathematics model and program fidelity significantly contributed to the reading model. This research provides information on how to impact positive social change through teacher-led social-emotional learning programs and their impact on behaviors in middle school settings.

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