This thesis reports on a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the SEL policy makers’ conversations taking place in England and Wales during the New Labour period. The research sets out to offer a critical explanation of Welsh and English SEL policy thinking and doing and how the SEL policy discourse worked to privilege certain ideas and topics and speakers and exclude others. Thinking with theory and building on the work of Apple (2007) and Ball (2012) I draw on the contemporary tenets of critical theory to examine the (dominant) English and (often subjugated) Welsh discourse(s) to historically locate and contextualise the mainstream SEL literature within the ideological discourse of neoliberalism (Harvey, 2005). This neoliberalism is one which unequivocally drives policy in the direction of markets and propounds a thorough marketization of educational provisions and practices (Lynch, 2006).Drawing on data from a series of eight semi structured interviews with key national level policymakers, alongside documentary analysis, I argue that New Labour in England, particularly in its second term, through a particular policy network and the SEAL programme, adopted SEL as a tool of managerialism designed to shape and govern a self-managing, entrepreneurial, placid subject in the service of the neoliberal economic model. Alternatively I contend that the Welsh assembly adopted SEL as a practical and progressive tool for developing a more equal society and a more egalitarian and democratic modus operandi of social justice (rooted in normative precepts of the collective and of community cohesion). This “Welsh” approach was powerfully intertwined with the devolution programme and notions of the child as a democratic citizen with agency and rights. In both England and Wales this understanding and application of SEL was intimately connected with national identity and notions of nationhood. This work was undertaken using a CDA approach. It employed Fairclough’s Three Dimensional Model (1992) of Critical Discourse Analysis and engaged with the subject and data through the three lenses of text (the written and spoken word), discursive practice (the production, distribution and consumption of the text) and social practice (the wider social, political and economic forces shaping the discourse). By illuminating through CDA the ideologically infused discursive claims to truth and value, which underpinned the rhetoric and substance of the UK (Anglo-centric) Government’s version of SEL in schools and that of the devolved Welsh Government, my findings reveal the broader scale ideas and political-ontological truth claims which drove the development of SEL across England and Wales during the New Labour period; the research therein unveils the implicit but reified notions of childhood and children’s wellbeing which were central to SEL development at both the national and devolved levels; it identifies the unspoken and latent ideological projects which were core to the production of divergent SEL discourses in each of the countries; and finally, it reveals the influence which national tradition, domestic power structures, cross-societal inequities and the subjugation of certain identities have had on the conceptualisation and practical delivery of SEL in England and Wales. The study concludes that the relationship between language and political ideology in England and Wales during the New Labour years powerfully shaped the SEL policy discourse. In England the result of this was a thin version of SEL co-opted into the service of the neoliberal marketplace. In Wales a similar outcome occurred but only after a very different contextualised and transformative version of SEL was relinquished due to the invasive neoliberal forces attacking Welsh education.

Across North America concerns have been raised about the social, emotional, and mental health of our youth. Many primary prevention programs have been proposed to address these issues, however, few have met the criteria for effective interventions, including being longitudinal, cross-curricular, emphasizing specific concepts and skills, and being within the skills and understandings of teachers and the school system at large (McCombs, 2004). The Respecting Diversity (RD) program is a social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention designed by teachers that uses a Multiple Intelligences (MI) framework to develop self-awareness, self-respect and respect for diverse others. It teaches skills such as goal setting, meta-cognition, and perspective taking that underlie SEL. The program is designed to develop, a safe, positive classroom climate to begin the school year, and facilitate social and academic learning. The study herein was intended to explore emotional and behavioral outcomes of the RD program. The study involved 218 intermediate (grades 4-7) students and their teachers, divided into intervention and control groups. Students were assessed pre and post intervention for the development of self-awareness, self-respect, awareness of others, and respect for others. Measures of classroom climate were also included. Students completed several measures of SEL, and a selected sample were interviewed to obtain detailed information about their experiences in inclusive diverse classrooms, and with the RD program itself. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including thematic content analysis procedures and repeated measures MANCOVA’s. Both students and teachers indicated that the RD program significantly increased students’ self-respect, awareness of others, and respect for others, while students in control classrooms decreased in these factors. Classroom climate also significantly improved for treatment classrooms, and, similarly, decreased in control classrooms. Results are discussed in terms of their educational implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The aim of this study is to investigate work on social and emotional learning in the everyday practice of 221 educators working in preschools and schools. With using a mixed method both quantitative and qualitative information was gathered. In the introduction and background, the state of knowledge is problematized, SEL is defined, previous research reports and the education in SEL is described. The literature review describes SEL in relation to educators, children/pupils and children with special needs. An expansive learning approach permeates the performance analysis. The study's results are largely in line with previous research in the field of SEL and shows correlations between educators and child/pupils social and emotional skills and relational competence. The educators describe that they perceive children's behavior in a different way, had better understanding themselves, gained a common understanding and a common language, and become better at working inclusively and making adjustments based on the children’s/pupils needs. The educators felt that the children/pupils managed routine situations better based on the environment's expectations. The children/pupils were also perceived to have developed a better self-esteem and self-confidence based on the fact that they more often succeeded in interacting with others and that they were seen and confirmed based on their needs. The thesis concludes with suggestions for further research and hopes. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur pedagogerna upplever att en kompetensutveckling i socialt och emotionellt lärande - SEL påverkar deras vardagsnära praktik och barnen/eleverna. 221 pedagoger verksamma inom förskola och skola deltar i studien. Med hjälp av en mixad metod samlades kvantitativ och kvalitativ data in. I inledningen och bakgrunden problematiseras kunskapsläget och SEL definieras. Tidigare forskning redovisas grundligt utifrån socialt och emotionellt lärande i förhållande till hälsofrämjande och förebyggande arbete, pedagoger, barn/elever samt barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Engeströms teori om expansivt lärande tillsammans med tidigare forskning om SEL används i resultatanalysen. Studiens resultat visar på samband mellan pedagogers och barns/elevers sociala och emotionella kompetens och relationella kompetens. Pedagogerna beskriver att de har fått bättre förståelse för barns beteende, fått en samsyn och ett gemensamt språk, och blivit bättre på att arbeta inkluderande och göra anpassningar utifrån barnens/elevernas behov. Pedagogerna redogör för hur barnen/eleverna klarar rutinsituationer bättre utifrån omgivningens förväntningar. Barnen och eleverna upplevs också ha utvecklat en bättre självkänsla och självförtroende utifrån att de oftare lyckades i samspel med andra och att de blev sedda och bekräftade utifrån sina behov. Uppsatsen avslutas med förslag på vidare forskning och förhoppningar.

This study explores how self-imposed limitations affect anxieties about art-making and the art-making process. As a teacher, I was interested in how limitations affected student art-making. I used arts-based research methodology to explore spiritual and personal quandaries in my own life through the process of art-making. A consistent thread throughout this investigation was using the process of making art as a way to gain understanding about my own life and teaching. I was also able to create a culture of vulnerability and honesty in my classroom and help my students embrace themselves and their physical, emotional, and situational limitations through the art-making process.

The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and research part. The theoretical part is dedicated to reading workshops, specifically to their importance. Reading workshop is a teaching method that develops reading skills and creates a reading community in the classroom. Furthermore one of the cross-curricular themes, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), is introduced. The goal of the research part of the thesis is to identify the possibilities of connecting these two areas, to describe how reading workshops are led by elementary school teachers, to determine whether and how can the cross-curricular theme of SEL be incorporated into the reading workshop. This goal was achieved through semi-structured interviews with teachers. The interviews show that the teachers aim at various goals during the preparation for reading workshops, nevertheless they usually don't implement the outputs of the SEL. They would appreciate using inspiring lesson plans. In response to their need, eleven lesson plans for reading reading lessons were added to the thesis. They are aimed at fulfilling the objectives of SEL. KEYWORDS cross-curricular theme of social and emotional learning, reading workshop, reading literacy, reading comunity, sharing

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The number of children living in a conflict zone in 2021 reached a staggering 449 million, which represents more than one out of every six children (Save the Children, 2022). When children are exposed to armed conflict the experiences can impair cognitive and social and emotional function. These functions can in return challenge and impair the child's learning processes. Through a comparative multiple-case study, using the lens of the Ecological Systems Theory, two humanitarian interventions; BLP in Gaza by NRC and HCT in Lebanon by IRC, the research aims at shining light on the opportunities and challenges with PSS educational interventions targeting children's trauma recovery and academic achievement. The research questions seek to create an understanding about how the interventions are designed and implemented and which strategies are the most impactful and less impactful, and lastly, what recommendations can be derived from the findings to guide similar NGOs in their design and implementation process. The main results showed that both BTP and HCT interventions effectively reduced traumatic stress and improved academic achievement among the beneficiaries. BLP demonstrated strengths in its multi-leveled design, parent involvement, and comprehensive materials for teachers. HCT demonstrated strengths in creating a supportive environment and structured teacher training but had low parent involvement. The findings emphasize the importance of a multi-leveled approach to enrich the child's social ecosystem.

In response to the main federal K-12 law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the teacher education program standards, teacher education programs have tried to address social and emotional learning (SEL) content in their curricula. Adding information on SEL alone may not be enough to overcome the shortenings of many existing early childhood programs. The current study attempted to address these shortenings through the inclusion of specialized SEL strategies and sample activities in addition to traditional content on social-emotional learning and development. This study was organized within a quasi-experimental design framework. One hundred thirty-nine preservice teachers were divided between control and treatment groups. The treatment group was exposed to the intervention (i.e. additional/special SEL strategies and activities) in the modified Nurturing Children's Social Competence class, while the control group was in the traditional version of the same class (i.e. traditional instruction with no additional/special SEL strategies and activities). All students were surveyed using the SEL Beliefs Scale for Preservice Teachers and the SEL Knowledge and Attitudes Scales for Preservice Teachers. The surveys were conducted at the beginning and at the end of the semester. An exploratory factor analysis, MANOVA, and descriptive discriminant analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that preservice teachers in the treatment group gained greater knowledge about (a) SEL in general, (b) the development of SEL skills in young children, and (c) implementation of the SEL strategies in the classroom. In addition, preservice teachers in the treatment group developed more positive attitudes toward implementation of SEL strategies and the importance of teaching social and emotional skills to young children. Even though SEL beliefs did not predict treatment / control group differences, there were statistically significant differences in the development of SEL beliefs within each group. Preservice teachers in both groups highly believed that creating a SEL environment in the classroom and schoolwide is essential.

Violence is common-place in South African schools and managing learner aggression is central to learners’ academic performance and holistic development. There is empirical evidence that suggests that the school curriculum is an essential vehicle for driving the process of creating social and emotional competent individuals, capable of social cohesion and tolerance. This evaluation research aims to evaluate whether the CAPS Life Orientation curriculum is adequately addressing social and emotional competence in learners in order to reduce violence in schools. A comprehensive literature review was conducted which revealed that Social and Emotional Learning programs are highly effective in addressing issues of violence and social problems in schools along with producing a positive school climate with high learner academic achievements. Data collected from the Life Orientation Curriculum documents, Grades R-12, and the elite electronic interview, revealed that the Life Orientation curriculum covers most of the essential elements necessary to make an impact on the development of learners’ social and emotional skills, but may lack the necessary knowledgeable teachers to facilitate such an important study area. Furthermore, not enough time and resources are allocated to Social and Emotional learning. Based on these results, recommendations are made through a ‘framework to advance social and emotional learning in schools model’ for the CAPS Life Orientation curriculum Grades R-12. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)