The purpose of this study was to expand upon the research with high school principals and leaders of school divisions as they seek to implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework. Though a significant number of studies have been conducted at the elementary and middle school levels, research at the high school level has lagged (Choi et al., 2019). This study consisted of a survey sent to 251 principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The survey return rate was 17%, with a fully completed survey return rate of 10%. The survey consisted of a principal self-assessment of the MTSS framework and of the four elements necessary for the implementation of MTSS: collaborative culture, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and social-emotional learning (SEL). The self-assessment section of the survey was followed by a series of Likert scale statements addressing collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. These statements went into specific detail to create a deeper reflection on the school culture by principals. The statements were divided into two parts. The first part addressed potential obstacles within the school culture and the second addressed potential principal actions. The first phase of analysis consisted of a two-tailed t test to compare the mean of the MTSS framework self-assessment to the means of the self-assessments for collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. The second phase was a series of two-tailed t tests to compare the means of collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL to the means of the Likert scale statements. The p-value for all but one two-tailed t test performed in the study exceeded the accepted 0.05. The one exception was the mean of the principal self-assessment for SEL compared to the mean of the Likert statements for SEL at 0.03 and N = 25. Beyond conducting the mean analysis, Likert scale ratings for each statement were examined to identify trends and outliers. The implications of the results are that the data from the survey or similar surveys can be useful to principals and leaders of other school divisions to inform professional development, prioritize resources, and implement strategies to improve student performance in both academic and social-emotional learning. / Doctor of Education / Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) was part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. Originally focused on literacy, MTSS has evolved into a framework designed to eliminate achievement gaps in academics and in social-emotional learning (SEL) for students. This study was designed to add to the research as it applies to the implementation of MTSS at the high school level. The research at the elementary level, and to a lesser degree at the middle school level, is much more robust than at the high school level. The survey used in this study was based on a literature review that showed there are four elements necessary for the implementation of MTSS: collaborative culture, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and SEL. The survey was sent to high school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia and consisted of five sections. The first section was a principal self-assessment of the readiness of the culture of their school to support the MTSS framework, as well as for collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL. The following four sections of the survey included a series of Likert scale statements for each element of implementation (i.e., collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL) that addressed obstacles to implementation as well as principal actions to overcome those obstacles. A two-tailed t test was performed to determine whether any of the comparisons of the means were statistically significant. Only one t test, the mean comparison of SEL self-assessment to the mean of the Likert scale statements, was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.03, with the mean of the self-assessment rating higher than the mean of the Likert scale statements. The analysis of the Likert scale statements did show trends and outliers for specific statements for all four elements necessary for the implementation of the MTSS framework (i.e., collaborative culture, RtI, PBIS, and SEL). The data collected along with the literature review, adds to the research on MTSS for high school principals and school division leaders. The data point to implications for principals and leaders of school divisions in terms of professional development, allocation of resources, and areas of focus for closing academic and social-emotional gaps for students.

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.

The purpose of this study was to examine a novel campus-based multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) framework. The framework included a standard-response protocol approach to response to intervention (RTI), integrated with a reversed process to professional learning communities, to support learning for students who were struggling to learn. Using a causal-comparative research design, a secondary analysis of quantitative data from one Title I school of approximately 500 students during the 2016-2018 school years was conducted to determine the level of impact MTSS had on reading achievement. Independent and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze iStation indicators of progress reading scores, resulting in statistically significant results. Kindergarten through 5th grade students' reading scores were significantly higher after one year of MTSS intervention than students who did not receive MTSS. One year of MTSS intervention had a statistically significant impact on both early and intermediate readers. Early readers, who began below grade level, performed significantly higher in reading achievement after just one year of MTSS as well. Intermediate readers, who began on or above grade level did not perform significantly higher in reading achievement after one year of MTSS, however. Possible long-term implications for MTSS were analyzed by comparing one year to two years of MTSS intervention. A consistently significant increase in reading scores occurred, suggesting growth that took place from one year of MTSS was enhanced by an additional year of MTSS. This novel MTSS framework could be used by campus leaders as an intervention to provide equitable learning for all students and yield statistically significant results in reading achievement in one school year. Additional research examining the impact of MTSS on Tier 1 intermediate readers receiving enrichment is recommended.

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)

The complexity of mental development in humans together with human interaction in the social context presents itself to be a continued source of investigation and exploration. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is such a field of study in the discipline of psychology. Researchers emphasized the importance and value of emotional development ("soft-skills") equal to cognitive development (“hard-skills”). EI abilities are associated with key skills and competencies required for operating successfully in today’s organizations. This study focused on this theme specifically and tried to determine how EI training impacted on the success of the individual who fits the modern working profile and how emotionally intelligent employees are beneficial to organisational success overall. An ethnographic qualitative study (including an autoethnography) was performed on individuals of different participant groupings who completed the Neuro-Link EI Program. The aim was to assess if they showed increased growth in areas of EI, specifically addressed in the program namely self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social management. Findings indicated that EI training works with positive results. It was of great value to the individual having an immense impact on their personal lives. It further had a major positive impact on the group dynamics of individuals who attended the training. At companies where facilitators presented the program, EI training had a positive impact. A conclusion on the impact that such training had on the two companies whose staff members directly participated in this study, was not yet possible at the time of the study. The development of an awareness model for the promotion of EI training in the workplace is recommended. This may increase available knowledge regarding corporate EI training but also accelerates an emerging, but a too slowly growing movement. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in English / Exploring the Impact of Emotional Intelligence Training in the Workplace. The complexity of mental development in humans together with human interaction in the social context presents itself to be a continued source of investigation and exploration. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is such a field of study in the discipline of psychology. Researchers emphasized the importance and value of emotional development ("soft-skills") equal to cognitive development (“hard-skills”). EI abilities are associated with key skills and competencies required for operating successfully in today’s organizations. This study focused on this theme specifically and tried to determine how EI training impacted on the success of the individual who fits the modern working profile and how emotionally intelligent employees are beneficial to organisational success overall. An ethnographic qualitative study (including an autoethnography) was performed on individuals of different participant groupings who completed the Neuro-Link EI Program. The aim was to assess if they showed increased growth in areas of EI, specifically addressed in the program namely self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social management. Findings indicated that EI training works with positive results. It was of great value to the individual having an immense impact on their personal lives. It further had a major positive impact on the group dynamics of individuals who attended the training. At companies where facilitators presented the program, EI training had a positive impact. A conclusion on the impact that such training had on the two companies whose staff members directly participated in this study, was not yet possible at the time of the study. The development of an awareness model for the promotion of EI training in the workplace is recommended. This may increase available knowledge regarding corporate EI training but also accelerates an emerging, but a too slowly growing movement. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

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)

This thesis looks into evidence-based character education as it is researched and applied in the Anglo-Saxon countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, as a parallel to Personal and Social Education in the Czech Republic. Its aim is to provide an overview of scientifically studied approaches to the development of human character, inclusive of efficient means of their dissemination. The first part of the thesis includes definition of terms, philosophical and historical foundations of character education, description and classification of character strengths, and their effects on human flourishing. Based on analysis of available sources, the next part of the thesis presents empirically tested examples of best practices being applied in families, schools, and other organizations. It is followed by a part describing certain problems which character education is currently facing and finally a summary of possible solutions. It becomes apparent that character needs to be approached in its entirety with focus aimed toward harmonious development of a wide range of character strengths. Their cultivation by means of upbringing and education shows positive effect on individual as well as societal flourishing - it builds a strong base for the evolution of cognitive skills by developing...

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