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Young children face unique social challenges, and they need social and emotional resilience skills in order to navigate their way through school. Many of the children who need the most help are in family situations where parents are not able to teach these skills. Students can become more resilient through social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom. SEL teaches children to identify the emotions of themselves and others, to communicate their emotions in a nonviolent way, and to be good friends. By teaching SEL at a young age, teachers can help children become more adept as they make friends and learn how to interact in social situations, thus bolstering their relationships with friends and adults. Improved social and emotional skills help students succeed in academics and with their peers as they form social connections. Strong Start Pre-K, a social and emotional learning curriculum, was evaluated in a local preschool program. Using a nonequivalent control group design, two preschool teachers taught the curriculum in their classrooms, and a third classroom was the control. Both before and after the implementation of the curriculum, data were gathered from classroom teachers on their students' emotional regulation, internalizing behaviors, and the teachers' perceived relationships with their students. Results indicated a slight increase in emotional regulation and a significant decrease in internalizing behaviors in the treatment groups. Student-teacher relationships improved, specifically with a decrease on the subscale of Conflict. Treatment fidelity indicated that teachers were able to implement most or all of the components of each lesson 90% of the time. Social validity measurements indicated that the teachers would recommend the curriculum to other educators.

<p>  </p> <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p>Students with mild disabilities are often taught in an integrated class setting where they are provided additional support and accommodations while remaining in general education classes with their non-disabled peers. These students often have high-incidence disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and some other health impairments), and have a unique set of characteristics that create challenges for academic and social growth (Stelitano et al., 2019; Trainor et al., 2016). Recent research has shown that exposure to social emotional learning and the 16 Habits of Mind has been beneficial for students with mild disabilities, however teachers are struggling to implement these ideologies in addition to their traditional responsibilities (Jones et al., 2017; Dyson et al., 2019; Cueso & Harrison, 2012). The 16 Habits of Mind are a set of 16 problem-solving, life-related skills that promote personal growth and success (Costa & Kallick, 2000). </p> <p><br></p> <p>The present study was conducted as a requirement of a master’s degree in special education. There are two sub projects: administrating an anonymous survey through Qualtrics and developing an instruction manual. The purpose of the study was to determine teachers’ understanding and experience of social emotional learning and the 16 Habits of Mind and to identify obstacles that prevent teachers from implementing such practices in their classrooms. Twenty-eight licensed teachers recruited from a Title I, public, high school answered the 13 survey questions. The analysis of the results addressed three research questions, (1) What understanding and experience do teachers have about social emotional learning for high school students with mild disabilities?, (2) What understanding and experience do teachers have about using the 16 Habits of Mind with high school students with mild disabilities?, and (3) What kinds of supports (e.g. administrative, district-level, building-level, online resources) are in place to help teachers implement social emotional learning for students with mild disabilities? </p> <p><br></p> <p>Results from the study show that teachers occasionally implemented social emotional learning, and they are confident in their ability to do so, but there were factors that limited regular implementation. Teachers were concerned with the time requirement of social emotional learning, and the support available within their building when navigating sensitive subjects. Many participating teachers had heard of Costa and Kallick’s (2000) 16 Habits of Mind and teach many of the concepts informally through daily practices and routines. A majority of teachers reported teaching three habits formally and often within their classrooms: Striving for Accuracy (50%; N=24), Questioning and Posing Problems (60.87%; N=23), and Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations (54.17%; N=24). When asked to identify which habits were most influential to student success, 20% (N=19) of teachers identified persistence as most important. Teachers’ testimonies showed that using the 16 Habits of Mind as a tool to drive social emotional learning could be beneficial, but, they expressed concerns about being able to blend concepts with existing curriculum without neglecting instruction time.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Using the survey results, a handbook was created to support teachers in implementing the 16 Habits of Mind, as a tool for social emotional learning, into their classroom. The handbook contains the following sections: Students with Mild Disabilities, Social Emotional Learning, The Habits of Mind, Implementation Suggestions, and a detailed outline for each habit. For each of the 16 habits the outline included the following items: Objectives, Relevant Vocabulary, Definition, Application to Learning, Quote, Daily Practices, 1-3 Mini-Lesson Plans, and Journal/Discussion Questions. The hope is that the handbook will provide a resource for teachers, so they feel more comfortable integrating the 16 Habits of Mind into daily curriculum without compromising instruction time. For teachers that would like to go above and beyond, the mini-lesson plans provide activities that can deepen student understanding of the habit and only require 5-15 minutes of class time. In order to develop a handbook that would be most effective for teacher use, it was reviewed by university faculty and licensed special education teachers. After review minor adjustments were made for teacher use and benefit.  </p>

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In response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, universities across the world moved coursework online andfrequently used Zoom videotelephony software to replicate the experience of learning in a classroom. While this platform supported certain aspects of the traditional classroom, such as immediacy of responses and the facilitation of social interactions, learning via Zoom also differed in various ways from the familiar classroom experience. Although there has been considerable research on online learning, most studies focused on an asynchronous design and interaction. Thus, the understanding of learning within synchronous, video-mediatedplatforms, such as Zoom, is nascent. In this study, the data was derivedfrom a focus group with eight university students from the United States that was conducted over Zoom. Using content analysis, the transcripts of the focus group's interaction yielded four themes: Zoom Challenges, Zoom Benefits, Faculty Proficiency, and Student Learning Experiences. Cameras, a distinguishing feature of Zoom, could strengthen engagement, yet they also heighten anxiety for some andfatigue for most users. However, when those challenges were mitigated and the benefits harnessed by faculty informed about how to support student learning, students experienced a deepened sense of connection to their peers, the faculty, and their learning. Family science educators who recognize the strengths and limitations of this platform have the opportunity to teach more effectively and support their students' socio-emotional learning and well-being.

The demands on teachers have been further amplified both personal and professional in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of stress teachers face is unsustainable. Stress can have negative outcomes for the teacher student relationship. Increasing teachers' social-emotional competence can lead to a more supportive classroom environment and improved teacher and student outcomes. Researchers have determined mindfulness-based interventions are conducive to increasing teachers' social-emotional competence. School counselors can assist and equip teachers with these vital skills through consultation services. To date, there are no studies that investigate the effects of a combined mindfulness and social-emotional learning-based school counselor consultation approach. In this study, I sought to explore the results of that approach. Teacher participants reported their racial identity as 22% Black (n = 7), 46% Caucasian (n = 15), 25% Hispanic (n = 8), 3% multi-racial (n = 1), and 3% Asian (n = 1) and self-reported gender as follows 38% male (n = 12) and 62% female (n = 20). Participants received 5 weeks of a combined mindfulness and social-emotional learning school counselor consultation. Results of hierarchical linear regressions revealed statistically significant improvement in the mindfulness disposition of acting with awareness, and practical significance of decreased perceived stress and conflict in the teacher student relationship. Results of this study illustrate the possible benefits of utilizing school counselor consultation to increase the socio-emotional competence of teachers through mindfulness.

Strong Teens is a curriculum designed to help students develop the social-emotional skills needed to manage challenges and become successful socially and academically (Carrizales- Engelmann et al., 2016). Strong Teens has shown promise among adolescents, but this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the intervention in a high school setting. The curriculum was implemented by a special education teacher with students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A mixed method design was used to evaluate outcomes with 16 ninth grade students. Overall findings suggest that Strong Teens was effective at improving students' social emotional knowledge over a 3-month period. However, there was a worsening of students' internalizing symptoms and teacher-student relationships. The teacher implemented the curriculum with low to moderate fidelity. Students were mostly neutral in their view of Strong Teens, while the teacher held a more favorable view. Future studies should include a larger sample size, offer training to educators on the implementation of Strong Teens, and consider using a more effective collection method to ensure students' anonymity.

People with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties understanding or applying skills related to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). An individual having a better understanding of SEL concepts is generally associated with more fulfilling connections with others and increased satisfaction in life. Since people with ASD tend to have greater success with learning in structured environments, we created a module to teach these skills using Nearpod. These modules were created with videos of a person embodying a cartoon dog face using Animoji for two reasons; because the animation was meant to appeal to children, and the creation was user-friendly enough for teachers to potentially create or replicate this model. Along with these videos, the modules also included multiple choice questions about content from the lessons and about scenarios portraying different emotions. Participants came to a research lab where they completed the modules at a computer while being supervised by researchers. Looking at the results from the intervention there was little to no trend between baseline and intervention sessions across four participants. While Nearpod is a tool that could be useful for parents or teachers to create and present video modeling lessons, participants had difficulty navigating the modules without support from the researchers due to length of the modules, getting easily distracted and difficulty with using the technology. Some directions for future research may include delivering similar content using animated avatars through shorter, more child-friendly delivery methods.

Successful social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have established methods with teacher and peer support that improve prosocial behavior. Research has shown intervention programs that incorporate these skills reduce antisocial behaviors, but implementation in schools may vary and therefore affect outcomes. The purpose of this non-experimental program evaluation study was to understand the perceptions of implementation, impact, acceptability, and effects of Second Step within a suburban elementary classroom in the northeastern United States. The participants were teachers in a suburban elementary school near a large northeastern US city. A questionnaire, observations, interviews, a focus group, and school collected data (e.g., Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing) were used to answer the research questions. Participants reported perceptions that Second Step had positive effects on academic performance. PSSA data showed that student academic performance appeared to be minimally affected or unaffected by Second Step. Results from the questionnaire, interviews, and focus group suggest teachers believed Second Step improved student behavior. However, the school did not collect behavioral data (e.g., suspensions, referrals, detentions, etc.) prior to or after Second Step adoption. Limited training and other factors may explain why reported fidelity to the curriculum appeared inconsistent with observational measures. Participant bias may have also influenced interview and focus group data. Despite limitations, schools that adopt Second Step should rely on evaluations to determine whether intended impacts are realized. Also, Second Step and other SEL curriculum researchers should consider providing guidance about implementation, assessment, and cost-benefit analysis. Researchers could investigate systematic changes to lesson content and delivery in ways that allow teachers to adapt or modify instruction without compromising curricular effects. / Special Education

While schools are focused on academic success, many lack the resources and instruction needed to help students grow in their social emotional learning. However, research has shown that social emotional learning not only helps students build character but also helps them achieve academic goals. Furthermore, studies have shown that bibliotherapy helps children learn social skills and how to apply them into their own lives. The goal of this study was to determine if Book in a Bag, a social skills bibliotherapy program, implemented over the course of an entire school year was perceived by teachers as an acceptable method to help students learn social emotional skills. The study used a single case study design in an elementary school with grades 1-6. The sample consisted of 19 teachers from grades 1-6. This study was completed using existing data from an elementary school that implemented Book in a Bag. The Book in a Bag lessons were taught by the teachers, volunteers, or substitutes in every class. Surveys and focus groups were conducted to assess the social validity and perceptions of the program amongst the teachers regarding whether or not it was an acceptable strategy to teach students social skills. As part of this mixed methods design, an analysis of the means and standard deviations was performed on the survey data as well a one-way ANOVA to assess any differences across grade levels. Furthermore, a thematic analysis was performed on the focus group data to interpret the teachers' responses. Results suggested that teachers found Book in a Bag an acceptable way to teach social skills and they found the social skills important for their students' social emotional learning. There was no significant difference across grade levels. In the focus group data, teachers reported that the lessons were easy to implement and helped their students gain a greater sense of awareness of the social skill steps. However, teachers in every grade level reported that some of the books did not connect very well to the social skill it was intended to teach and oftentimes there were not enough books for each of the classes. Moreover, this study suggests that bibliotherapy may be an effective and easy way to promote social emotional learning in the classroom. Future implementation of this program should aim to make sure the books match with the social skill and that there are enough materials to implement the program on a school-wide level. Future studies of this program should look at how Book in Bag affects changes in student behavior across the school year by performing observational studies, particularly on playgrounds and during free time to see if students are implementing the social skill steps taught in the lessons.