This study explored the perspectives and lived experiences of urban youth in relation to Restorative Practices at a free public charter school in Los Angeles, California. This qualitative study used a series of semi-structured interviews with four high school students. This adaptable design allowed for the nature of questions to evolve and shift in accordance with emergent themes and patterns. After a detailed inductive analysis of the data, major themes emerged related to students’ aversion to punitive discipline, their preference for conversation-based Restorative Practices, and their desire to have more agency as school community members. Moreover, participants reported that they only felt trusting of a small handful of staff members, preventing consistent conflict-resolution practices and positive relationship building. This study’s findings indicate a need for changes to be made at the school, district, state, and federal level to halt the use of traditionally racist and punitive discipline practices and replace them with Restorative Practices and social-emotional education and support. Additionally, student voice needs to be included and acknowledged as an integral piece of meaningful decision-making in school settings.

This case study investigated one urban school district’s efforts to address the mental health of its students during COVID-19. Specifically, I examined the protocols established by the district and the daily implementation of social-emotional learning and culturally relevant practices during the 2020–21 school year, focusing on the instructors’ perspective. Utilizing a semi-structured qualitative interview approach, I collected data from five teachers and one district personnel and corroborated it with district survey results and the Learning Continuity Plan. Findings indicate that despite teachers not explicitly understanding social-emotional learning (SEL) before COVID-19, they relied on a strong network of support and personal expertise to address the social-emotional needs of their students. Students engaged in activities such as art therapy, journaling, yoga, and community circles. Teachers incorporated culturally relevant lessons into online instructional sessions. The district established protocols to address the mental health of their students; however, teachers perceived them to have little effect on students’ mental health. The protocols specified in the Learning Continuity Plan may not have been fully effective, or the student’s social-emotional needs might have exceeded the support offered by the district, as further evidenced by the fact that teachers were compelled to advance much further than what was stipulated by the district. These findings indicate the need to be more proactive versus reactive. From teacher credentialing programs to new teacher onboarding at Title I schools, educators need more training and long-term coaching provided by experienced professionals to effectively support students’ mental health needs, particularly within marginalized communities.

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Pour développer le capital émotionnel, le domaine de l'éducation a besoin des programmes globaux qui pourraient former des individus sains, équilibrés, compétitifs, et capables à apporter le progrès, la paix et la prospérité à la société. Il y a aujourd’hui un besoin urgent de former des individus sains, équilibrés et équipés de compétences émotionnelles, personnelles et sociales pour faire face, dans un premier temps à des problèmes émotionnels, personnels, psychologiques, et socio-économiques, et afin de répondre, dans un deuxième temps, aux exigences du contexte social tout en prenant en compte les futurs défis. Le but de cette recherche était d'étudier les effets d'un programme de formation des compétences émotionnelles sur le développement du capital émotionnel des enfants des écoles primaires au Pakistan. / The purpose of this research was to study the effects of an Emotional Competency Training Program, based on two conceptual models of Mayer & Salovey Model of EI and Goleman model of EI and one action model of Six Seconds Model of EI, on the development of emotional capital of primary school children in Pakistan. The sample of the study was the 4th class students from Amanat Memorial High School in Lahore, Pakistan. The class of 32 students was randomly divided into 16 students for experimental group and 16 for the control group. Different students from both groups could not participate in post-test or follow up and finally the 9 students for each group were included in the final data analysis of this research. The research had a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a follow up after the two month from posttest phase. The data was analyzed statistically by using the multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance technique with SPSS software. The results of the research demonstrate that the experimental group significantly increased the emotional capital scores at post-test phase as compared to the control group’s mean scores. While the experimental group, compared to control group, sustained this development up to the follow-up phase two months after the post-program phase.

The Early Childhood Educators’ Knowledge of Self-Regulation Skills Questionnaire (ECESRQ) was devised to measure current teacher knowledge and implementation of pedagogical tools that enhance self-regulatory skills in the early childhood classroom. The purpose of the first phase of this study was to conduct test validation on the ECESRQ. The purpose of the second phase of this study was to (a) assess if teacher knowledge of self-regulation skills predicted teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in the classroom, and if (b) the results from the ECESRQ predicted knowledge of instruction of self-regulation skills. To address the first phase of the study an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the Likert Style items in the ECESRQ. Three factors were extracted and named as teacher attitudes and beliefs (factor 1), children’s behavior (factor 2), and child behavior (factor 3). Cronbach’s Alpha was reported as high for factor 1 (.718), moderate for factor 2 (.552) and factor 3 (.529), suggesting that the survey demonstrated high to moderate estimates of internal consistency. To address the two questions in the second phase of the study, linear regression and multiple regression analysis were conducted. It was found that teacher attitudes and beliefs (represented by the three factors found in phase one) did not significantly predict teacher knowledge where factor 1 was the dependent variable (R2=.003, F(1, 172)=.503, pR2=.010, F(1, 172)= 1.732, pR2=.007, F(1, 172)=1.221, p However, in the second equation, predicting knowledge of instruction, both variables (age and factor 2) were significant in predicting knowledge of instruction accounting for 7% of the variance in the model. Overall, the results suggest a discrepancy between teachers’ attitudes and beliefs and reported classroom management implementation. This indicates that teachers believe children are capable of internal control, yet implement external over internal control in the classroom. Possibilities for this phenomenon are discussed and implications for future research are presented in the discussion of this study.

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Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are at greater risk for dropping out of high school than other students, and are likely to experience fewer employment options and more societal marginalization. Alternative schools have been viewed as a last chance and best option for educating many students with EBD who have not actually been diagnosed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore persistence and retention in the alternative school setting for students who may or may not have been diagnosed with EBD. Students in this study will be referred to as EBD. Although they have not been formally diagnosed, all of the students suffered with symptoms of emotional and behavioral disorders. Interview and observational data were examined through the theoretical lens of the Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. The research questions focused on the meaning of academic persistence for students in an alternative school, the institutional efforts to retain students, and the processes and consequences to improve student engagement and retention. Seven teachers and administrators from an alternative school in Georgia were interviewed, and analysis and interpretation of data from the interviews, observations, and field notes revealed five major themes: support, acknowledgment for incremental gains, struggle to focus, and we are family. These results indicated that some of the most challenging students can persist when they are provided with support (parental, academic, emotional, and community), and future longitudinal research is needed on students' post-high school functioning. The results also showed the need for systemic changes that include formal assessments and diagnoses because access to psychological services are not provided until students have been properly diagnosed.

This study examined the relationships between a social-emotional learning program and the 5 dimensions of emotional intelligence and whether the relationships were moderated by gender. The problem addressed in the study was the lack of research focused on the development of emotional intelligence at the middle school level. The participants included 28 middle school students from a southeastern state who engaged in a 36 hour social-emotional learning program facilitated by a public university. The BarOn EQ-i:YV was administered pre and post. Demographic data including age, gender, race, and school type were also gathered. Data were analyzed using a one-way repeated measure MANOVA in which gender served as an attribute variable. The independent variables for this study included the attribute variable of gender and the treatment variable (IMPACT program). The dependent variables were the 5 dimensions of the EQ-i:YV (intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress management, adaptability, and general mood). The MANOVA found no interaction between the treatment and gender, but it did show a significant main effect for the treatment. Separate univariate tests showed significant relationships between the treatment and four of the five dimensions of emotional intelligence: interpersonal, stress management, adaptability, and general mood. Specifically, the findings revealed that the IMPACT program significantly increased participants’ emotional intelligence in these four areas. The MANOVA also showed a significant effect for gender. The univariate tests showed one significant gender difference relating to the interpersonal dimension; females scored significantly higher than did males on both the pre- and post-tests with a moderate effect size. While not significantly different, females also scored higher than did males in three other dimensions (intrapersonal, stress management, and general mood) on both the pre- and post-tests. As there is hardly any research that focuses on both the effectiveness of social-emotional learning programs with middle school students and the role of gender, further related research is recommended. Additionally, further research should examine the effectiveness of condensed versus traditional one year delivery models for social-emotional learning programs.

In general education classrooms across the United States, students with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn how to write and cultivate their writing skills. Teachers of students with ASD have the unique responsibility of carrying out effective instruction to all students. However, the growing body of research around evidence-based practices and approaches for students with ASD is limited. Two effective practices that have shown positive statistical significance for students with ASD are the self-regulated strategy development model (SRSD) and the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework. General education instruction faces a research-practice gap because of the widespread lack of strategy instruction and lack of evidence-based practices implemented in the classroom. The purpose was to design an integrated strategy instruction tool with an SEL framework, to provide potentially more feasible and equitable writing instruction for elementary students with ASD in general education classrooms. Therefore, a relationship skills themed expressive writing unit aligned with fifth grade language arts Florida State Standards was developed. Specifically, the researcher integrated the SRSD model into a five-day themed writing unit that teaches mnemonic writing strategies. The writing unit utilizes high-quality, SEL themed children's literature, cooperative learning practices, writing stations, and many formative assessment opportunities. In the future, the researcher's next step is to implement the writing unit in a general education classroom with a substantial ASD population to examine its efficacy and effectiveness. Hopefully, the feasibility of this innovative writing unit will decrease the research-practice gap that general education teachers face.

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