University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The academic implications of providing social emotional learning in K-12: an evaluation study

(USC Thesis Other)

The academic implications of providing social emotional learning in K-12: an evaluation study

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content

THE ACADEMIC IMPLICATIONS OF PROVIDING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
LEARNING IN K-12: AN EVALUATION STUDY

by
Yvonne Hoyos

______________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2021

Copyright 2021 Yvonne Hoyos

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Alison Muraszewski, for your support and
advice throughout my doctoral journey. Thank you also to my committee members Dr. Kenneth
Yates and Dr. Eugenia Mora-Flores for taking the time to support me in this process and for your
invaluable feedback.
Special thank you to my mother for instilling in me the importance of education and
pursuing my dreams through hard work and commitment. Thank you to my three children, Skye,
Jacob, and Katie for being my inspiration. I hope that I too have instilled a love for learning and
pursuing your dreams! Lastly, a special thank you to my husband Jose Luis for your support and
encouragement along this journey. Fight on!

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... v
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. vi
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vii
Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1
Introduction of the Problem of Practice .............................................................................. 1
Organizational Context and Mission ................................................................................... 1
Organizational Goal ............................................................................................................. 3
Related Literature ................................................................................................................ 3
Importance of the Evaluation .............................................................................................. 5
Description of Stakeholder Groups ..................................................................................... 6
Stakeholders Group Performance Goals .............................................................................. 6
Stakeholder Group of Focus ................................................................................................ 7
Purpose of the Project and Questions .................................................................................. 7
Methodological Framework ................................................................................................ 8
Definitions ........................................................................................................................... 8
Organization of the Project .................................................................................................. 9
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ......................................................................................... 10
Influences on the Problem of Practice ............................................................................... 10
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences ............................... 21
Conceptual Framework: Interaction of Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization ......... 30
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 34
Chapter Three: Methodology ......................................................................................................... 36
Purpose of the Project and Questions ................................................................................ 36
Methodological Approach and Rationale .......................................................................... 37
Participating Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 38
Qualitative Data Collection and Instrumentation .............................................................. 40
Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 42
Credibility and Trustworthiness ........................................................................................ 43
Ethics ................................................................................................................................. 43
Chapter Four: Findings .................................................................................................................. 46
Participating Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 46
Knowledge Findings .......................................................................................................... 47
Motivation Findings .......................................................................................................... 54
Organizational Findings .................................................................................................... 58
Synthesis ............................................................................................................................ 63

iv
Chapter Five: Recommendations ................................................................................................... 67
Organizational Context and Mission ................................................................................. 67
Description of Stakeholder Groups ................................................................................... 68
Goal of the Stakeholder Group for the Study .................................................................... 68
Stakeholder Group of Focus .............................................................................................. 68
Purpose of the Project and Questions ................................................................................ 68
Introduction and Overview: Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences
........................................................................................................................................... 69
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan ............................................................... 82
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Approach ...................................................................... 93
Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................... 94
Future Research ................................................................................................................. 95
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 96
References ..................................................................................................................................... 98
Appendix A Interview Protocol ................................................................................................... 106
Appendix B Teacher Training Evaluation Instrument ................................................................ 109

v
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals ..................... 6
Table 2 CASEL’s Core SEL Competencies .................................................................................. 12
Table 3 Knowledge Influences, Types, and Assessments for Knowledge Gap Analysis ............. 25
Table 4 Motivational Influences and Motivational Influence Assessments .................................. 28
Table 5 Organizational Influences and Assessments .................................................................... 30
Table 6 Evidence of factual, procedural, and metacognition knowledge ...................................... 48
Table 7 Evidence of Utility value and Self-Efficacy ..................................................................... 55
Table 8 Evidence of Cultural Models and Cultural Settings ......................................................... 59
Table 9 Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations ............................................ 70
Table 10 Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations .......................................... 76
Table 11 Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations ....................................... 80
Table 12 Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes ......................... 84
Table 13 Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation ................................ 85
Table 14 Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors ............................................................ 86

vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Interaction of stakeholder knowledge and motivation within organizational cultural
models and settings. ....................................................................................................................... 32
Figure 2. New World Kirkpatrick grid and levels for PES teachers to implement the SEL
competency skills .......................................................................................................................... 93

vii
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine teacher implementation of social emotional
learning practices at Phoenix Elementary School (PES) (pseudonym) and the impact on student
performance. Employing the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis, interviews were used for data
collection that identified and validated performance gaps. Using this model, the knowledge,
motivation and organization influences that may have contributed to or impeded successful
teacher implementation of social emotional learning were reviewed. Findings reveal that PES
teachers had substantial training in SEL practices and although they didn’t have knowledge of
the five SEL competency skills they had procedural knowledge in implementing SEL strategies.
Additionally, training contributed to increased motivation regarding teachers’ self-efficacy and
utility value for SEL practices. The New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016) was used to interpret the recommendations into implementation and program evaluation.
This study provides a guide for school districts and K-12 schools to examine when they are
considering the implementation of social emotional learning and the implications on student
performance.

1
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
“How successful the teacher is in the classroom is directly related to how
successful the teacher thinks the students can be. Teachers limit themselves
and their students when they put caps on what their students can achieve.”
– Christopher Emdin (2016)
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
Social emotional learning (SEL) skills create a strong connection to academic learning
that is important to students’ success in school (Elias & Arnold, 2006). The Collaborative for
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2013) found that teachers value and
understand the importance of SEL in students’ academic success and life. Greenberg,
Domitrovich, Weissberg, and Durlak (2017) contend that SEL is a United States public health
issue that can be addressed at school sites as students spend many years there, and schools can
provide interventions to improve students’ behavioral and emotional competence. Furthermore,
schools can provide explicit instruction that promotes personal and social competencies to ensure
students “are more likely to be ready for college, succeed in their careers, have positive
relationships and better mental health, and become engaged citizens (Greenberg et al., 2017, p.
13). Research has found that a student’s emotional well-being is directly connected to
educational achievement (Sznitman, Reisel, & Romer, 2011).
Organizational Context and Mission
The District (pseudonym) is a large urban school district in the United States with an
elected school board, serving approximately 100,000 students and 50,000 employees, making it
one of the largest school employers in the nation. The student demographics are such that over
70% are Latino, followed by smaller numbers of African American, Asian, Filipino, and White.

2
Also, 82% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The District's strategic plan for
2016–2019, called “A District for All Students,” was written during the tenure of the last
superintendent and the strategic plan development team. The District's mission is “Empowering
our youth to be college- and career-ready by ensuring academic achievement and social
emotional growth” (District, 2016).
At the center of this plan is the commitment to achieve a 100% graduation rate. To
achieve this rate, the District established five goals: (1) focus on early literacy; (2) proficiency
for all; (3) 100% attendance; (4) parent, community, and student engagement; and (5) school
safety. As part of the goal for school safety, schools are to provide safe learning environments
that foster success through emotional safety that builds positive relationships and school
connectedness (District, 2016). The plan calls for schools to implement an SEL curriculum such
as Second Step, Restorative Justice, and Stanford Harmony to increase students’ SEL
competency skills.
The focus of this study was Phoenix Elementary School (PES, a pseudonym) a small
second- to fifth-grade school that is part of the District. Like all schools in the District, PES is
accountable for implementing the District’s strategic plan. The total enrollment at PES is 250
students, with 85% who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch based on federal government
guidelines. Demographically, the student population consists of 90% Hispanic students, 5%
Filipino students, and 5% students of other ethnicities. There are 15 teachers and two school site
administrators. The school is considered underperforming based on criteria established by the
state of California, and students’ performance is measured annually through the Smarter
Balanced Assessment.

3
Organizational Goal
The organizational goal that will be addressed is PES teachers will implement SEL
practices by utilizing the five competency skills. The goal of school safety particularly emotional
well-being is related to the focus of this study, which examined how teachers mitigate students’
behavioral challenges in the classroom by providing effective intervention strategies focused on
SEL competency skills. PES’ goal is in alignment with the strategic plan (District, 2016) which
recommends schools ensure all students feel safe, cared for, connected, and respected.
Furthermore, this goal supports students’ emotional well-being that is required for successful
school experiences and academic performance. As part of the District strategic plan, all schools
including PES must be trained in and implement an evidence-based program, such as Restorative
Justice, Second Step, or Stanford Harmony. The U.S. Department of Education has
recommended that school Districts ensure that schools provide a safe learning environment for
all students (US Department of Education, 2014). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and
Emotional Learning or CASEL (2018), notes that state funding opportunities related to SEL have
been embedded in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and all fifty states have integrated
SEL into their standards for student success.
Related Literature
Social emotional learning (SEL) considers the influence of a student’s emotions on self-
regulated learning through social competency skills and how emotions motivate student
performance. SEL instruction has increased due to the correlation between positive emotional
supports and academic achievement (Mega, Ronconi, & De Beni, 2014). In particular, schools
implement SEL using evidence-based programs, in kindergarten through 12th grade, to increase
students’ competency skills. Studies show that an emphasis on SEL results in improved behavior

4
and social interactions, which improve academic success (Mega et al., 2014; Payton et al., 2008;
Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2007). The goals of SEL programs are to increase
students’ self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsible
decision-making skills as well as improve attitudes and behaviors toward self and others to
increase academic achievement (Corcoran, Cheung, Kim, & Xie, 2018).
Schools are the ideal setting for providing explicit instruction in SEL to teach students to
recognize and manage emotions, build empathy, learn decision making, and learn citizenship to
produce responsible and contributing citizens (Zins, Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004).
In a 2015 evaluation study on the impact of the SEL program Second Step, the authors found the
intervention produced significant improvements in social emotional competence and behavior for
students who showed skill deficits at the beginning of the school year (Low, Cook, Smolkowski,
& Buntain-Ricklefs, 2015). Implementing SEL mitigates adverse behaviors and improves
teacher-student relationships and student-student relationships to advance academic
performance.
The organizational goal is to provide emotional safety by providing safe learning
environments that foster success through emotional safety that builds positive relationships and
school connectedness. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health examined 36,000
7
th
-12
th
grade students and the impact on student emotional safety and well-being indicated a
positive correlation between social emotional learning and students’ emotional well-being (CDC,
2009). Furthermore, the Center for Disease and Prevention found that enhancing student
connectedness in school fosters student emotional safety and boosts student academic
performance (CDC, 2009).

5
Importance of the Evaluation
It is important to evaluate PES’s performance regarding its performance goal of
providing school safety so that all students can feel safe, cared for, connected, and respected. In
Atlanta, graduation rates among underserved students increased 17 percentage points between
2014 and 2017 as a new SEL program was implemented district-wide (Himmelstein, 2019).
Additionally, in Chicago, graduation rates increased after the district implemented a
comprehensive SEL program with built-in supports for students experiencing trauma
(Himmelstein, 2019). As the literature purports, SEL competency skills support academic
learning. Positive emotions such as enjoyment, hope, and pride play a central role in academic
settings, and self-regulation and motivation are predictors of academic achievement (Mega et al.,
2014). School-wide practices on social and emotional competencies that include knowledge,
attitudes, and skills are imperative to increasing academic achievement, especially among high-
risk students in disadvantaged communities (CASEL, 2018).
Elias and Arnold (2009) contend that the purpose of education has been to educate the
whole child by teaching reading, math, science, and other subjects as well as instructing them on
how to develop effective social relationships in a diverse society. SEL competencies are
particularly important for marginalized students who need equitable, supportive, and welcoming
learning environments. Additionally, underserved students experience persistent marginalization,
making them feel socially excluded at school and in society (Mega et al., 2014). Without an
evidence-based program, PES will not systematically provide its 250 students with explicit SEL
instruction focused on the goal of providing a safe school environment as measured on the
District’s annual school experience survey given to all students.

6
Description of Stakeholder Groups
Stakeholders at a school are all who are invested in students’ welfare and success. The
three key stakeholders at this organization are the school site administrators, students, and
teachers. The school site administrators provide teachers training on evidence-based SEL
programs. The students are the beneficiaries of that instruction in the form of a safe learning
environment that fosters emotional safety, positive relationships, and school connectedness so
that they feel confident in asking questions and advocating for themselves. Finally, teachers are
responsible for teaching SEL competencies using an evidence-based program. The importance of
stakeholder relationships lies in working on meaningful, focused, and strategic actions that
accomplish the organizations' goals (Lewis, 2011). For example, teachers work to provide a safe
school environment can influence the effectiveness and fidelity of implementing an SEL
program.
Stakeholders Group Performance Goals
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
Empowering our youth to be college- and career-ready by ensuring academic achievement and
social emotional growth.
Organizational Global Goal
100% of students will achieve and graduate and experience future college and career success.
PES Teachers Administrators Students
By June 2021, teachers at
PES will implement SEL
practices by employing the
five competency skills.

By January 2021, school site
administrators will develop
an action plan to train all
teachers on SEL practices.
By June 2021, all students at
PES will participate in a SEL
program that teaches the five
SEL competency skills.

7
Stakeholder Group of Focus
While the joint efforts of all stakeholders contribute to the achievement of the overall
organizational goal of 100% of students achieving and graduating ready for college and careers,
it is important to evaluate where teachers at PES are currently with regard to their performance
goal. Therefore, the stakeholders of focus for this study were the teachers. The stakeholder’s
goal, supported by the school site administrators, is that 100% of teachers will implement SEL
practices by utilizing its five competency skills: self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
The role of the teacher is central to meeting this organizational performance goal, and
failure to meet this goal will lead to continued loss of instructional time. Loss of instructional
time will mean a lack of a safe learning environment that fosters success and the global goal of
all students being college- and career-ready. Teachers have the most daily interactions with
students and are key to providing a safe environment by the actions they take to address and
respond to students’ challenging behavior.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree to which PES is meeting its goal of
100% of teachers integrating SEL practices by teaching SEL competency skills by June 2021.
The analysis focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to
achieving the organizational goal. While a complete performance evaluation would focus on all
stakeholders, for practical purposes, the stakeholders for this analysis were the teachers. Two
questions guided this evaluation study, addressing knowledge and skills, motivation, and
organization influences on teachers:

8
1. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational commitments needed to
implement social emotional learning (SEL) practices?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and PES teachers'
knowledge and motivation?
Methodological Framework
The methodological approach for this project was qualitative. Qualitative research seeks
to understand how people view their experiences, design their worlds, and what meaning they
assign to these experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This evaluation study sought to
understand how SEL practices contribute to students’ academic learning. Furthermore, it
examined how these practices build students’ competency skills to improve their relationships
with their peers and teachers. Thus, this qualitative inquiry was exploratory and inductive,
seeking to gather empirical data on teachers’ knowledge and motivation as well as on the
organization through face-to-face interviews. The research questions are descriptive, asking what
is happening. In addition, the research questions are causal as they called for examining whether
teachers’ knowledge and motivation affect student learning. Finally, the research questions
sought to make meaning of strategies to integrate SEL in the development of students’
competency skills.
Definitions
Restorative justice practices: AN approach to discipline that focuses on repairing harm
through inclusive processes that engage all stakeholders. Implemented well, restorative justice
shifts the focus of discipline from punishment to learning and from the individual to the
community (District, n.d.).

9
Second Step: Curriculum on social and emotional learning with units on skills for
learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship skills, and problem-solving. The program
contains separate sets of lessons for use in prekindergarten through eighth grade over 22 to 28
weeks each year.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL): The process through which children and adults acquire
and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage
emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and
maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL, 2018).
The Five SEL Competency Skills: Five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and
behavioral competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills,
and responsible decision making.
Organization of the Project
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provided the key concepts and
terminology commonly found in a discussion about SEL in the classroom. The organization’s
mission, goals, and stakeholders, as well as the review of the evaluation framework for the
project, were introduced. Chapter Two provides a review of the current literature surrounding the
scope of the study. Topics of social emotional competencies, academic achievement, social
behavior, and lifelong student success will be addressed. Chapter Three details the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational elements to be examined as well as the methodology that
determines the choice of participants, data collection, and analysis. In Chapter Four, the data and
results are described and analyzed. Chapter Five provides recommendations for practice based
on data and literature as well as recommendations for an implementation and evaluation plan.

10
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This literature review examines the effects of student emotional safety in the classroom
and how it relates to student academic performance. The review begins with current research on
the link between SEL and academic achievement, particularly at underserved K-12 schools. This
is followed by an overview of the literature on the relationship between SEL and increasing
academic achievement, social behavior, and lifelong student success. Next, the review will
present an in-depth discussion on social competencies skills and social emotional well-being in
child development focusing on K-12 populations. Additionally, this section will examine current
research on the evidence-based programs that explicitly teach SEL competency skills as core
classroom instruction. Following the general research literature, the chapter turns to the Clark
and Estes (2008) gap analysis conceptual framework. The specific knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences were examined in daily SEL implementation and in the role of school
leaders in fostering and supporting SEL initiatives to increase teachers’ capacity to increase
students’ academic learning.
Influences on the Problem of Practice
The outcomes of providing SEL competencies to K-12 grade students in an urban low
socioeconomic status environment are important to their success in school and life. Promoting
students’ SEL increases their academic achievement (Aspen Institute, 2019; Elias & Arnold,
2006; Zins et al., 2004). Through the explicit teaching of SEL skills, mindsets, and attitudes,
teachers can create inclusive learning environments that improve student outcomes (Aspen
Institute, 2019; Gable, Hendrickson, Tonelson, & Van Acker, 2002). SEL contributes to a
student-centered approach that develops the participation, communication and collaborative
attitudes and behaviors of students needed for academic success (Cristovao et al., 2017).

11
This study covered three areas that emerged from the literature review. The first topic is
the influence of SEL on student outcomes in the areas of academic achievement, social behavior,
and lifelong skills. The second topic is the teacher’s role in terms of providing a positive
classroom climate, positive teacher-student interactions, and effective responses to behaviors that
affect academic achievement. The third topic concerns the interventions and strategies that
develop students’ social skills, motivation, and academic achievement. Finally,
recommendations for school leaders’ role in fostering and supporting SEL initiatives are
provided.
Elias (2009) stated that SEL is “the missing piece” in education because it binds
academic knowledge with a specific set of skills vital to success in schools and students’
communities (p. 6). Zins et al. (2004) provided a definition of SEL:
The concept of SEL derives from the work of Goldman (1995) and others on emotional
intelligence. It generally refers to learning those skills involved in being self-confident
and motivated, knowing what behaviors are expected, curbing impulses to misbehave,
being able to wait, follow directions, knowing how to ask for help, expressing needs, and
getting along with others. In the school learning context, SEL is the process for
integrating thinking, feeling, and behavior to achieve important social tasks; meet
personal and social needs; and develop the skills necessary to become a productive,
contributing member of society. (p. 27)
The definition of SEL, according to CASEL (2018), is the process of teaching, practicing, and
reinforcing five social emotional competencies:
The process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the
knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and

12
achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive
relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL, 2018).
Furthermore, they identified the five core competencies that promote intrapersonal,
interpersonal, and cognitive competence (Table 2). A significant emphasis across the various
definitions of SEL is students’ skill development provided by teachers, administrators, parents,
social service workers through effective SEL programs that promote the development and
acquisition of these skills into adulthood.
Table 2
CASEL’s Core SEL Competencies
Social Emotional Competencies Competency Definitions
Self-awareness Recognizing one’s emotions and identifying and
cultivating one’s strengths and positive qualities
Social awareness Understanding the thoughts and feelings of others
and appreciating the value of human differences
Self-management Monitoring and regulating one’s emotions and
establishing and working toward achieving
positive goals
Relationship skills Establishing and maintaining healthy, rewarding
relationships based on cooperation, effective
communication, conflict resolution, and an ability
to resist inappropriate social pressure
Responsible decision making Assessing situational influences and generating,
implementing, and evaluating ethical solutions to
problems that promote one’s own and others’
well-being

13
As CASEL (2018) describes SEL as a process of teaching, practicing and reinforcing the
five competency skills, implementation is determined by what actions and behaviors teacher take
with their students. Furthermore, CASEL contends that these five competency skills can be
taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and across
diverse cultural contexts. According to CASEL (2018) examples of what self-awareness looks
like in the classroom is a teacher helping students identify their emotions in order to guide the
student in taking appropriate actions to mitigate that emotion. Social-awareness entails a teacher
modeling exercises about empathy and compassion such as showing students how to show
concern for the feelings of their classmates. Self-management requires a teacher to show students
how to manage their emotions and set personal goals. If a student is exhibiting anger the teacher
would model calming techniques with the student such as breathing, time away from others, and
redirection to positive activities. Relationship skills involve teachers guiding students through the
principles of teamwork and having students practice these skills by engaging in teamwork
activities. Lastly, responsible decision making would involve a teacher demonstrating to students
how one anticipates and evaluates the consequences of one’s actions. Specifically, a teacher
would ask a student to engage in thinking about what may happen if the student continues to
neglect turning in assignments. Greenberg (2017) adds to this discussion with his research on a
public health approach to education. Greenberg stresses both the short and long-term impacts of
SEL instruction, noting the improvements in school culture beneficial to both students and
teachers (Greenberg, 2017). Long term, student development of their social emotional
competencies is more likely to produce socially and emotionally competent adults (Greenberg,
2017).

14
Importance of SEL for Students
The Aspen Institute and the National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic
Development concluded that the learning process is composed of cognitive abilities, emotional
competencies, and social and interpersonal skills (Aspen Institute, 2019). SEL affects academic
performance and emotional skill development that leads to more engagement in the classroom
and mitigates behavioral issues (Elias, 2009; Zins et al., 2007). This study examined the impact
of SEL on academic achievement in the area of school/classroom culture, specifically on the
teachers’ role, teacher-student relationships, and students’ social behavior. Furthermore, this
study examined the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on teachers’ ability to
implement SEL.
Academic achievement. Students from underserved communities have disadvantages
and barriers that contribute to educational gaps throughout the United States. Especially for
urban minority students, the lack of incorporating social and emotional development in education
policy may contribute to their underperformance (Elias, 2009). Integrating social and emotional
learning in daily classroom lessons will help build the cognitive skills to learn academic content.
According to a meta-analysis involving more than 270,000 students, those who participated in
evidence-based SEL programs increased their academic achievement by 11 percentile points
(Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). Elias and Arnold (2006) contend
that classrooms and schools seen as non-threatening yet challenging increase students’
responsiveness to their academic learning.
As academic achievement is measured through standardized assessments and the
achievement gap remains considerable, closing this gap may take approximately 50 years, based
on the current rate of change (Orr, 2003). Students in the U.S. continue to underperform on

15
mathematical assessments after more than a decade of educational policy promoting standardized
testing as the primary means of improving teaching and learning (Boston & Wilhelm, 2017). In
the five top-performing countries, 61% of students scored at high or advanced levels, compared
to only 30% of U.S. eighth grade students (Boston & Wilhelm, 2017).
The link between SEL and academic engagement, commitment, and ultimate school
success are affected by relationships and emotions (Cristóvão, Candeias, Verdasca, & Cristóvão,
2017). Furthermore, Cristóvão et al. (2017) point out that, as with academic skills, SEL
competency skills must be explicitly taught. In a large-scale review of 317 studies involving
324,303 elementary and middle school students on the impact of SEL, an 11 to 17 percentile
point gain on achievement tests demonstrated SEL programs provided educational benefits
(Payton et al., 2008).
Social behavior. Student social behavior is positively impacted when teachers teach the
five SEL competency skills. These competency skills have been identified by CASEL (2018) as
supporting students’ development in reducing risk behaviors among children. Children in
underserved poor communities are more likely to suffer from conflict, violence, and social unrest
than those in more affluent communities (Engle & Black, 2008). As a result, commonly
occurring behavior problems are disruptiveness, noncompliance, aggression, bullying,
suspensions, and delinquent acts. Currently, removing students from the classroom is a primary
way to address this misbehavior. However, in a 2011 report, Fabelo and colleagues found that
exclusionary discipline practices do more harm than good. Specifically, the authors found that
59% of all Texas public school students experienced some form of exclusionary discipline
during middle and high school. Greenberg et al. (2017) further support that SEL provides
students already experiencing behavioral problems with targeted intervention and prevention

16
strategies. CASEL (2018) states that SEL approaches help to improve students’ attitudes about
self, others, learning, and school, resulting in increased positive social behavior that contributes
to a safe learning environment. Adding to this discussion, Panayiotou (2010) found in a study of
1,626 children attending 45 elementary schools that SEL skills learned and practiced in safe and
supportive environments mitigate the adverse effects of emotional symptoms and risky behaviors
that pose a risk to academic achievement. Improving student social emotional competencies
increases engagement, reduces behaviors such as bullying, aggression, and disruptiveness and
focuses on the need for teachers to be responsive to these issues and leverage SEL instruction to
provide competency skills benefiting students into adulthood (Reicher, 2017).
Lifelong skills for success. SEL also provides students with lifelong skills such as self-
awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, self-management, and relationship
management (Zins et al., 2004). Elias (2009) sees the development of these skills as an essential
component to building a strong character and self-actualization, which are fundamental tools for
citizens in a democratic society. For example, Elias (2009) identified such skills as setting
adaptive goals, leading and being an effective team member, showing ethical and social
responsibility, solving problems, and making decisions effectively.
In a longitudinal study, Dodge et al. (2015), found that early intervention in preventing
adult psychopathology among high-risk behavioral problems reduced the arrest rates, drug and
alcohol use, and psychiatric symptoms of participants in the study 18 years later. The
interventions in the study consisted of family therapy, enrichment programs to build social skills,
parent training groups, guided parent-child interaction sessions, and 90 minutes of reading
intervention a week. The study found that the short-term impact of teaching explicit social skill
development had a positive impact on students’ academic learning. The long-term impact is that

17
these competencies are carried throughout the lifespan in both career and personal relationships.
SEL education develops skills like recognizing and managing emotions, appreciating others’
perspectives, setting positive goals, making responsible decisions, and handling interpersonal
interactions effectively (Zins et al., 2004).
Teachers and SEL
Teacher-student relationships impact student connectedness and emotional safety. A
constructive learning environment for students who exhibit behavior problems relies on positive
perceptions between teacher and students, positive interactions, and direct interventions to
address misbehavior. A study of 35 third through fifth grade urban classrooms and 531 students
found a reduction in aggressive behavior with emotionally supportive teacher-student
interactions (Portnow, Downer, & Brown, 2018). Furthermore, the results suggest that SEL
programs that focus on reshaping both the classroom environments and social-cognitive skill
development reduced students’ aggressive behavior over the school year (Portnow et al., 2018).
Tillery (2013) further supports the importance of adult connections for students that increase
student emotional well-being, increased motivation, academic achievement and self-efficacy.
Another study on the effects of teacher-student classroom interactions found that, when a
student reacts adversely to the teacher and the teacher reacts in a controlling manner, the
student’s behavior increases (Lapointe, 2003). When teachers promote emotionally supportive
learning environments, students see benefits in both social-cognitive processes and academic
performance. As Gable et al. (2002) contend, “students with emotional/behavioral problems such
as impulsivity, antisocial, aggressive, withdrawn, and isolation are adversely affected in their
academic performance and social relationships” (p. 459). A study by Kulinna (2007) found that
teachers reported classroom strategies that increase the teacher-student relationship are direct

18
individualized discussions, positive rather than punitive consequences, including parents in the
interventions, peer support, and time outs. The research found that the relationship that teachers
foster with students has important implications for both the teacher and the students. As the
majority of students will comply with rules and instructions, the author noted that, when teachers
attribute the misbehavior to the student’s home or personal deficits, rather than the teacher’s
reaction or biases, the teacher feels no ownership and is less inclined to implement intervention
strategies (Kulinna, 2007).
The role of the K-12 teacher is not merely to instruct students on content material; rather,
they work to build social skills for students who may exhibit challenging emotional and
behavioral problems. Notably, SEL social competency skills support social development and
create a positive learning environment. Teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and biases are
instrumental in how they respond to students’ challenging behaviors. Teachers establish either a
positive relationship with students to mitigate misbehavior or elevate students’ adverse behavior,
especially if they misinterpret said behavior as opposing the teacher’s norms, values, and
expectations (Dhaem, 2012; Gable et al., 2002; Kulinna, 2007; Lapointe, 2003).
Teachers’ perceptions of the factors that contribute to students’ misbehavior shape their
relationships with students and the approach they take to address misbehavior. According to
Gable et al. (2002), students who engage in challenging behavior tend to receive less instruction
than students who comply with teachers’ expectations. Positive teacher-pupil interactions
encourage active student engagement, ensure increased time on learning, and make for a
nurturing and supportive classroom environment. Lapointe (2003) maintains that teachers’
reactions through yelling, humiliation, and power struggles increase students’ opposition to
them, which results in a negative relationship. In contrast, exposure to SEL reduces behavioral

19
interruptions and increases academic learning outcomes (Engle & Black, 2008). Overall, the
findings support a connection between teacher-student relationships with student connectedness
and emotional safety, highlighting a need to look at the importance for teachers to use SEL
curricula to teach the five competency skills.
SEL Curriculum’s Correlation with Academic Benefits
SEL evidenced-based curricular programs and approaches focus on social and emotional
development using a systemic and intentional means for teaching SEL competency skills. The
National Academy of Sciences reported that 60% of children enter school with the cognitive
skills needed to be successful, but only 40% have the social emotional skills needed to succeed
in kindergarten (Ashdown & Bernard, 2012). In a study on the impact of the SEL program
Responsive Classroom Approach that prioritizes a caring environment and social and academic
learning, the findings were improved academic, behavioral, and social skills (Rimm-Kaufman &
Chiu, 2007).
SEL curriculums that teach the social and emotional competencies lead to positive
student outcomes (CASEL, 2018). When emotions are recognized and teachers teach students to
manage their emotions, behavioral distractions are lessened and academic outcomes improve
(Engle & Black, 2008). In another study on explicit instruction in SEL, the authors found
improved social and emotional competency skills among young children (Ashdown & Bernard,
2012). In an evaluation study on Second Step, one of the most widely used SEL programs, the
findings were that the program improved social emotional competence and behavior for students
who started the school year with skill deficits relative to their peers (Low et al., 2015). In another
study on the 4Rs Program that included 942 third grade students, the authors found positive
effects in the short term on social-cognitive processes and literacy skills and, in the long term, on

20
aggression, social competence, and achievement (Jones, Brown, Hoglund, Aber, & Jones, 2010).
In summary, SEL evidence-based curricular programs support the development of safe learning
environments through the development of competency skill instruction that strengthen positive
relationships and school connectedness.
The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analytic Conceptual Framework

Determining the distance between stakeholders’ performance goals and their current
performance can be accomplished using the Clark and Estes (2008) systematic and analytic
framework. The framework provides a process for determining the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences on stakeholders’ identifying appropriate solutions to meet the
organization’s goals (Clark & Estes, 2008). There are four knowledge types in the cognitive
domain from the original work of Bloom that focus on mental skills and knowledge as well as on
the influences that are important to achieving the organization’s goals (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda,
2011). The four knowledge types are factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive, and
they help identify whether the stakeholder knows how to meet their performance goal. Clark and
Estes contend that motivation is important in the choices and mental effort stakeholders make to
meet their goals. The motivation theories of utility value theory and self-efficacy assisted in
determining performance gaps. Finally, the organizational forces that may affect teachers’
performance are what Clark and Estes (2008) refer to as the organizational culture, leadership
involvement, and structural supports.
This gap analysis utilized the Clark and Estes (2008) framework to address teachers’
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences to meet their performance goal of
implementing SEL practices in daily classroom interactions with students by teaching the five
competency skills by June 2021. The first area focuses on how knowledge influences affect

21
teachers’ performance goals. Next, the second area focused on the motivational influences on
teachers in reaching the goals. Finally, the organizational influences that may hinder the
attainment of the goals were explored. Chapter Three discusses the qualitative methodology used
to investigate teachers’ knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on reaching the
organization’s goals and closing performance gaps.
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences
Knowledge Influences
An important factor in analyzing a performance gap is understanding people's knowledge
and skills for successful goal achievement (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes (2008) point
out that this knowledge and skill enhancement can provide strategic and conceptual knowledge
through education to solve problems. To improve academic achievement and empower students,
teachers should not just rely on the what and how-to of classroom instruction but also on the why
and when concerning learning tools that will improve instruction while helping them adapt to
students’ changing needs (Rueda, 2011). Mayer (2011) explained that “learning is a change in
knowledge attributable to experience” (p. 14). To meet students’ needs, teachers should focus on
integrating SEL practices, resulting in what Mayer (2011) noted as enhancement of students’
learning. This portion of the literature review will focus on the knowledge-related influences that
are relevant to the achievement of the stakeholder goal. The importance of teachers' knowledge
and skills in problem-solving involves what Clark and Estes (2008) define as having conceptual
and analytical knowledge to address novel and unexpected problems.
Four knowledge types in the cognitive domain from the original work by Bloom focus on
mental skills and knowledge and the influences that are important to achieving the organization’s
goals (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda, 2011). The first knowledge type is factual knowledge and

22
includes facts, details, or elements that a person must know to perform a job effectively (Rueda,
2011). In the classroom, a teacher’s factual knowledge about SEL includes knowing the five
competency skills. Factual knowledge of SEL strategies is important when delivering lessons.
Conceptual knowledge is the second type of knowledge and focuses on “categories,
classifications, principles, generalizations, theories, models, or structures pertinent to a particular
area” (Rueda, 2011, p. 28). Teachers need to understand the role of emotions, positive
relationships, and effective behaviors in student success (Zins et al., 2004). A teacher’s
conceptual knowledge involves knowing how the principles of human needs, cognitive and
motivational processes, development, and individual differences are interrelated and support SEL
practices (Zins et al., 2004).
The third knowledge type is procedural knowledge. Procedural knowledge is knowing
how to accomplish specific tasks using particular techniques or methodologies (Rueda, 2011).
Responding to student behavior requires knowing when to use positive or negative
reinforcements as operant conditioning to affect students’ behavior (Tuckman, 2006).
Finally, metacognitive knowledge refers to the process and awareness of one’s thinking
and learning (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda, 2011). Metacognition provides awareness of what
strategies work and the monitoring and control of when to use them (Mayer, 2011).
Metacognition is important for teachers to use in developing students' SEL because, to address
students’ misbehavior, teachers should be aware and reflect on their own effectiveness in
implementing SEL practices.
This analysis will focus on three knowledge types and influences that are relevant to
teachers’ integrating an SEL emphasis to meet students’ needs. The first knowledge type
discussed is factual knowledge in that teachers need to know the five SEL competency skills.

23
The second knowledge influence is procedural knowledge, such as the use of operant
conditioning techniques that may influence the classroom environment and students’ behaviors.
Additionally, teachers need to know the steps required for SEL integration. The third knowledge
influence is teachers’ metacognition that calls for reflection and understanding of their strengths
and weaknesses in their effectiveness in implementing SEL practices.
Understanding of key social and emotional learning competencies. Self-awareness,
self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making are the
five skills of SEL competency (Elias, 2009). Factual knowledge of the five competency skills is
central to implementing SEL practices. Teacher knowledge includes being able to list each
competency skill and describing what each skill looks like in their classroom. Durlak et al.
(2011) believe that when teachers master the SEL competencies, the trajectory of students’ social
emotional learning develops contributing to increased emotional safety and increased school
performance. When teachers’ knowledge-related SEL implementation occurs consistently,
students internalize these approaches, making responsible decisions, and improving their
relationship skills (Sznitman et al., 2011). A teacher who knows the five SEL competency skills
is able to effectively integrate SEL strategies in their daily interactions with students.
Effective strategies that address SEL. The second knowledge influence that teachers
need is procedural knowledge, which calls for teachers to know how to implement SEL
strategies. According to Zins et al. (2004), competency skills development starting in the early
elementary grades is required to build students’ social emotional competencies. Consequently,
teachers who know how to implement these skills will integrate them into their daily interactions
with students. Furthermore, Zins et al. (2004) suggest that teachers focus on building cooperative
communities, use constructive conflict resolution to address disagreements, and teach civic

24
values. In addition to teaching the subject matter content, teachers build social emotional skills
gradually and systematically to address communication, such as by using verbal and nonverbal
skills to promote effective exchanges between the teacher and student and between students.
Knowing the principles of SEL, coupled with the application of operant conditioning techniques,
is a way for teachers to reinforce effective classroom management through behavior modification
(Tuckerman, 2006).
Reflecting on the effectiveness of SEL implementation. The third knowledge influence
calls for teachers to reflect on their effectiveness in implementing SEL practices. Baker (2006)
contends that learning is enhanced when the learners have awareness and control of their
thinking. In particular, if teachers are aware of their strengths and weaknesses regarding their
instructional practices related to SEL and their own knowledge of the SEL competencies, they
will, as Mayer (2011) noted, know what learning strategies work for them and when to use them
during their learning. Teacher awareness and reflection on their effectiveness in teaching the
competency skills with allow for modifications to approaches and SEL lesson development.
Teacher engagement in reflection will provide an examination of strengths and weakness and
reveal assumptions and potential misconceptions. Learning and motivation are enhanced when
learners set goals, monitor their performance and evaluate their progress towards achieving their
goals (Mayer, 2011).
Table 3 provides the organizational mission, organizational goal, stakeholder goal, and
specific knowledge types, influences, and assessments used for this study. Additionally, Table 3
notes factual, procedural, and metacognition influences that were used to provide an
understanding of the knowledge teachers demonstrate regarding SEL. To meet the stakeholder
goal, teachers need to know the five SEL competency skills and how to implement them.

25
Table 3
Knowledge Influences, Types, and Assessments for Knowledge Gap Analysis
Organizational Mission
Empowering our youth to be college- and career-ready by ensuring academic achievement and
social emotional growth.
Organizational Global Goal
100% of students will achieve and graduate and experience future college and career success.
Stakeholder Goal
By June 2021, teachers at PES will implement SEL practices by employing the five
competency skills.
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence
Assessment
Teachers need to know the
five SEL competencies.
Declarative (Factual)

Interview: Teachers will be
asked to list the five SEL
competencies.
Teachers need to know how
to integrate SEL strategies
with students.
Procedural Interview: Teachers will be
asked how they incorporate
SEL strategies and
approaches.

Teachers need to know how
to reflect on their own
effectiveness in supporting
the implementation of SEL.
Metacognition Interview: Teachers will be
asked about how they reflect
when things don’t go well.

Motivational Influences
An analysis of the causes of a performance gap must include an understanding of people's
knowledge and skills as well as their motivation to achieve their goals, which can be even more
complex (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes (2008) stated that motivation is central to the
choices people make regarding their goals, the perseverance needed to achieve the goals, and the
mental effort put forth to accomplish the goals. Rueda (2011) explained that motivation is shaped
by internal cognitive and affective factors and by external social and cultural factors. The actions
of individuals are motivated and directed by their beliefs about their capabilities to affect their

26
environmental circumstances (Bandura, 2000). As teachers implement various strategies in the
classroom to address students’ behavior, a strong sense of their efficaciousness will influence
positive and strategic classroom behavior interventions.
This study will focus on the motivation theories that are vital for teachers to achieve the
goal of implementing an SEL emphasis to meet the individual needs of students and build
positive relationships with students. The two motivational theories that are particularly relevant
to adding an SEL emphasis in the classroom are expectancy-value theory and self-efficacy
theory.
Utility-value. Teachers need to see the value of using SEL strategies to improve
students’ learning outcomes. The utility-value motivational theory holds that the value
individuals place on accomplishing a task or learning is important to success (Eccles, 2006).
Expectancy-value theory asks the question, “Do I want to do the task?” Confidence and a desire
to engage in building positive relationship-building techniques will support students’ emotional
needs. Importantly, teachers may know the social emotional competency skills, but, if they do
not regard these as important, then they will not implement them. If a teacher is struggling with
classroom management, testing different behavior management systems until one proves
successful will give the teacher ownership in accomplishing this goal. A teacher who finds value
in supporting students' SEL will make the active choice to persist and engage in the mental effort
to improve approaches and practices to respond to students’ behavior. Teachers with high SEL
value will engage in meeting the stakeholder goal and expect student performance to improve as
a result. Studies show that individuals value goal completion when they feel that their efforts
contribute to future success (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000).

27
Self-efficacy theory. Teachers need to feel confident in their ability to implement SEL
practices and approaches. The belief that individuals hold about their abilities and how their
efforts affect outcomes influence an individual’s behavior (Pajares, 1996). Self-efficacy beliefs
are assessed by an individual’s level and strength in their confidence to accomplish a task or
succeed in a situation (Pajares, 1996). Teachers’ own belief about their ability to successfully
implement SEL strategies is fundamental in meeting the stakeholder goal.
“Can I do the task?” This question is essential in having the motivation to attempt a task,
especially when difficulties arise. Zins et al. (2007) maintain that positive reinforcement and the
observation of others being successful at a task motivates individuals to persist. The motivational
importance of peer modeling may significantly influence self-efficacy beliefs (Pajares, 1996).
Additionally, feedback and modeling increase self-efficacy (Pajares, 2006).
Table 4 identifies the motivational influences of utility value and self-efficacy theory that
teachers need to meet the stakeholder goal. Teachers must see the importance of teaching SEL
skills to students and must feel confident in their ability to be successful. These motivational
influences will be used to assess the effect motivation has on meeting the stakeholder goal.

28
Table 4
Motivational Influences and Motivational Influence Assessments
Organizational Mission
Empowering our youth to be college- and career-ready by ensuring academic achievement and
social emotional growth.
Organizational Global Goal
100% of students will achieve and graduate and experience future college and career success.
Stakeholder Goal
By June 2021, teachers at PES will implement SEL practices employing the five competency
skills.
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Utility Value – Teachers need to see the
value of using SEL strategies to increase
students’ learning outcomes.
Interview: Teachers will be asked if teaching
the five SEL competency skills is important?
Self-Efficacy – Teachers need to feel
confident in their ability to implement SEL
practices.
Interview: Teachers will be asked how
confident they are in implementing SEL
skills with their students.

Organizational Influences
General theory. The third factor in analyzing a performance gap is an absence of
effective work processes and resources that can impede individuals from achieving the
organization’s goals, even if there exist strong knowledge and motivation influencers (Clark &
Estes, 2008). Organizations have cultures that include “the core values, goals, beliefs, emotions,
and processes learned as people develop over time in our family and in our work environment”
(Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 108). These cultures include organizational influences that describe the
issues, needs, and assets of the organization. The two influencers include cultural models and
cultural settings. Cultural models are the internal shared mental understandings that include the
values, beliefs, and attitudes that are invisible by those in the organization (Gallimore &
Goldenberg, 2001). Cultural settings are the activities of the people in the organization that are
visible, concrete, and happen over time (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).

29
Stakeholder specific factors. The cultural model that influences the implementation of
teachers using SEL in the classroom is the attitude of teachers in the acceptance and willingness
to use SEL practices and approaches to meet their students’ needs. An organizational model
should create a school environment of trust for teachers to fully implement SEL practices at PES.
The external and internal situations teachers experience are recognized differently based on the
trust teachers place on organizational influences (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). Teachers'
support in utilizing SEL approaches is based on having the confidence and reliability in the
organizational supports. School and District leaders set the cultural tone of acceptance and
willingness to support the implementation of SEL practices. Norris (2003) notes that trust is
having confidence in the reliability of what the organization provides, and this proves to be
essential for individual participation.
The cultural settings that influence teachers’ meeting the goal are District and school
leaders’ support and the resources they need at the school site. Implementation of SEL practices
depends on the resources and supports District leaders provide to teachers that have academic
achievement outcomes. Additionally, the organization needs to provide teachers with specific
training on SEL practices and approaches. Cultural settings allow stakeholders with specific
functions to gain the social context relating to how work is being performed within the
organization (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).

30
Table 5
Organizational Influences and Assessments
Organizational Mission
Empowering our youth to be college- and career-ready by ensuring academic achievement and
social emotional growth.
Organizational Global Goal
100% of students will achieve and graduate and experience future college and career success.
Stakeholder Goal
By June 2021, teachers at PES will implement SEL practices by employing the five SEL
competency skills.
Assumed
Organizational
Influences
Organizational
Influence Assessment

(Cultural Models)
The organization
needs a culture of
acceptance and
willingness to use
SEL practices and
approaches.
Open-ended
interviews

(Cultural Settings)
The organization
needs to have
resources and support
for teachers to
implement SEL
practices.
Open-ended
Interviews

Conceptual Framework: Interaction of Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization
A conceptual framework is a collection of concepts, theories, hunches, and views that
form the foundation and construction of a study (Maxwell, 2013). Maxwell (2013) argues that it
is important to note that a conceptual framework is a temporary theory and model of the
interactions between the components of a study. The goal of a conceptual framework is to group
and characterize the important concepts of a study and describe the linkage between them (Rocco
& Plakhotnik, 2009). A framework for research considers the interconnection of a philosophical
worldview or assumptions in the design and methods of a study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).

31
Knowledge influencers are vital to teachers having strategies that develop students’ SEL
to improve students’ academic learning. Consequently, increasing teachers’ knowledge is vital to
increasing teachers’ motivation to use SEL strategies and improve student academic outcomes.
Additionally, using a qualitative approach for this conceptual framework will assign the
literature and previous studies on SEL to connect the components of this study. Specifically, Zins
et al. (2007) maintain that, in an era of academic accountability, the connection between SEL and
academic achievement enhances social and emotional well-being to improve behavior and
academic performance.
A framework for research considers the interconnection of a philosophical worldview or
assumptions in the design and methods of a study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The two
paradigms that shape this study are the constructivist and transformative worldviews.
Constructivists seek to understand how an individual’s culture, context, and setting shape his or
her perspectives (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). In this worldview, the researcher’s goal is to use
open-ended questions to uncover participants’ views in their natural setting (Creswell &
Creswell, 2018). This worldview helps shape the approach in qualitative research design by
asking teachers about their beliefs about strategies that are effective for increasing the SEL of
students to improve behavior and academic achievement.
The second paradigm that shapes this study is the transformative worldview. The
transformative worldview embodies an action agenda that can transform the lives of the
participants and address a social issue (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Using this worldview, this
study focused on the needs of K-12 underserved students in urban settings and the issues of
inequality and disempowerment. The transformative seeks to understand the importance of
addressing the issue of developing students’ SEL skills instead of using authoritative and

32
punitive discipline approaches. Transformative research affords a collaborative approach that
“provides a voice for these participants, raising their consciousness, or advancing an agenda for
change to improve their lives” (Creswell & Creswell, 2018, p. 9), contributing to the
improvement of the academic achievement of students using an SEL approach.
While the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influencers of this study are
separate factors to consider, there exists a linkage between this study’s research questions and
factors in teachers achieving the goal of providing students SEL to support their academic
progress and achievement. The following figure represents this interaction and how all the
components are vital to achieving both the global organizational goal and the stakeholder goal.

Figure 1. Interaction of stakeholder knowledge and motivation within organizational cultural
models and settings.

Organizational Influences
Implementing SEL
Cultural Models:
Acceptance and
Willingness
Cultural Settings:
Resources and Support
Knowledge
• SEL
Competency
Skills
• Integration of
SEL
• Reflection
Motivation
Utility Value: “Do I
want to?”
Self-efficacy: “Can I
do it?”

Stakeholder Goal
PES teachers will
implement SEL
practices by
employing the five
competency skills.

33
This figure represents the relationship between the components influencing teachers’
integration of SEL in their classrooms to meet the individual needs of students within the larger
context that supports this goal. Starting from the larger circle labeled organizational influences,
this circle represents the school district that teachers are located within and the cultural models
and cultural settings found within this organization. The organizational cultural models that are
included in this organization are attitudes and values that support teachers implementing their
knowledge and motivational influencers to meet their goals.
The cultural model of attitude dictates the acceptance and willingness of teachers to use
SEL practices and approaches. The cultural model of values dictates the importance of teachers
collaborating with staff at their school and the District to accomplish their goal. Additionally, the
cultural setting is vital in providing the resources to teachers that include support from leadership
at the school site to accomplish their goal.
This cultural setting also includes the resource of providing training to teachers on SEL
evidenced-based programs like Restorative Justice and Second Step to increase their knowledge
and motivation of SEL practices. Organizational influences are vital to meeting the
organization’s global goal of ensuring that 100% of students will achieve, graduate, and
experience future college and career success. Elias (2006) claims that SEL is the missing link in
education because it links academic knowledge with a specific set of skills that are important to
the success of students in school. The smaller circle rests on and is dependent on the
organizational context to support the knowledge and motivation influencers in implementing an
SEL approach in the classroom.
The first declarative factual knowledge influencer calls for teachers to know and describe
the five social emotional competency skills that impact student performance outcomes. The

34
second procedural knowledge calls for teachers to know how to integrate SEL competencies with
students, and the third knowledge influence requires teachers to use metacognition by reflecting
on their own biases, beliefs, and effectiveness in supporting the implementation of SEL. The
motivation influencers include utility value which calls for teachers to see the value in SEL
practices to increase students’ learning outcomes and self-efficacy that calls for teachers to feel
confident in their ability to implement SEL practices.
According to Clark and Estes (2008), to meet the organizational goals, a gap analysis
must identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational supports and their interactions to
ensure that all three factors are present and aligned with each other for goal achievement. As
teachers find themselves within the organizational context within the school district and the
school site, their knowledge and motivation to achieve their goal of SEL integration are largely
dependent on the cultural models and cultural settings that may determine if the goals are
accomplished even with strong knowledge and motivation among the teachers. As Clark and
Estes (2008) note, even when individuals or teams have knowledge and motivation, inadequate
or lack of processes and materials in an organization can impede the achievement of performance
goals. Particularly, if teachers are to integrate an SEL emphasis in their classrooms, the leaders
of a school site, such as the principal, need to provide and align SEL practices and approaches
school-wide so there is an alignment with the teacher's goal and the global goal of the
organization.
Conclusion
The purpose of this evaluation study was to identify the performance gap as applied to
Clark and Estes’ (2008) knowledge, motivation, and organizational (KMO) influences of K-12
teachers implementing SEL practices to create positive interactions with k-12 students that

35
provide emotional safety and build positive teacher-student relationships and school
connectedness. This literature review presented the importance of developing SEL competency
skills for academic performance, the impact on student behavior, lifelong skills for student
success, and the teachers’ role in providing a safe learning environment. This review also
informed the study’s conceptual framework by providing the process that determined the KMO
influences for teachers to accomplish their goals. The knowledge influences considered the
factual, procedural, and metacognition needed to integrate an SEL emphasis with students.
Motivation influences included utility value and self-efficacy. Organizational influences centered
on cultural models and settings that the organization needed to support to accomplish both the
organizational goal and the stakeholder goal. Chapter Three will present the study’s
methodological approach.

36
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this study was to understand how SEL practices improve students’
academic learning. The primary stakeholders in this research were the classroom teachers.
Teachers provide direct instruction to their students and can teach SEL competency skills.
Additionally, the purpose of this research was to address how SEL provides emotional safety that
builds positive teacher-student relationships and school connectedness through SEL intervention
strategies for K-12students.
Using the Clark and Estes (2008) systemic and analytical framework, knowledge and
motivational influences that may impact performance gaps were examined to identify questions
used in this study, develop possible solutions, and address the problem of practice. Furthermore,
identifying these gaps will focus on the stakeholder goal of teachers integrating an SEL emphasis
to meet students’ individual needs to meet the District’s goal of school safety by providing safe
learning environments that foster success through emotional safety that builds positive
relationships and school connectedness.
The first knowledge influence type is declarative and calls for teachers to know the
principles of social emotional competency skills. The second knowledge influence type is
procedural and calls for teachers to know how to integrate SEL competencies with students. The
third knowledge influence is metacognitive and calls for teachers to know how to reflect on their
own effectiveness in implementing SEL practices. The first knowledge interview questions asked
teachers to identify their level of understanding of the five SEL competency skills by listing or
describing them. Another interview question asked teachers if and how they integrate SEL
strategies in their classroom. Finally, to assess their metacognitive knowledge, an interview

37
question asked teachers if they reflect on how they approach student SEL development and when
they notice something is not going well with students’ social emotional learning related to
attitude or behavior what do they do.
An analysis of the causes of the performance gaps must include an understanding of
people’s knowledge and skills as well as their motivation to achieve their goals, which can be
even more complex (Clark & Estes, 2008). The motivational influences that will help achieve the
goals include expectancy-value theory. The expectancy-value motivational theory holds that the
value individuals place on accomplishing a task or learning is important to success (Eccles,
2006). Therefore, teachers need to see the value of using SEL strategies to increase students’
learning outcomes. The second motivational influence is self-efficacy. Teachers need to feel
confident that they can teach SEL competency skills. High self-efficacy can positively influence
motivation (Pajares, 2006). High expectations for success and perceptions of confidence can
positively influence learning and motivation (Eccles, 2006). The goal is for teachers to focus on
developing skills that support students in managing their emotions and behaviors in the
classroom. Teachers should be aware that students’ behavior challenges can be escalated or de-
escalated by how they respond to students. Finally, the organizational influence that helps
facilitate teachers reaching the organization’s goal is the role of school leaders in fostering and
supporting SEL initiatives to increase students’ academic learning.
Methodological Approach and Rationale
The methodological approach for this project was a qualitative inquiry focused on
understanding the SEL practices that teachers undertake to support students’ academic learning.
This qualitative study sought to understand how people view their experiences, design their
worlds, and what meaning they assign to these experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Thus, this

38
qualitative inquiry was exploratory and inductive, seeking to gather empirical data as the
continual accumulation of knowledge about teachers’ knowledge, motivation, and the
organization through face-to-face interviews. The research questions were descriptive, asking
what is happening. In addition, the research questions were also causal, examining whether SEL
practices affect students’ performance outcomes. Finally, the research questions were intended to
make meaning of how strategies work to integrate an SEL emphasis to meet students’ individual
needs.
Participating Stakeholders
The stakeholder population of focus consisted of K-12 classroom teachers in the District.
The participating teachers were K-5 grade classroom teachers at PES, an elementary school in
the District at which more than 80% of students received free or reduced-price lunch. As the
focus of this study was the interactions between urban teachers and minority students, the desired
participant was a teacher at a school with at least 80% of minority students, including Latino and
African American students.
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1. Participating teachers had to be willing to participate in a 30- to 45-minute
interview. To gather in-depth information about teachers’ KMO influences when implementing
SEL approaches and practices, teachers were asked open-ended questions. The interviews
consisted of 12 questions about participants’ knowledge and motivation regarding SEL and how
the organization supports its implementation.
Criterion 2. Participants were required to have teaching experience of at least one
semester. A variety of teachers, from novice to experienced, provided variety to the information
provided. Participating teachers with a range of teaching experience included first-year teachers,

39
teachers with 30 or more years of experience, and teachers near retirement. They provided
insight into how teachers may develop strategies throughout their teaching careers.
Criterion 3. Participating teachers were required to be elementary classroom teachers in
K-5 grades. Due to feasibility, all participating teachers were from PES. The participants were
available after the school day for interviews. Interviews were held after school at the end of the
teachers’ workday. Having all participants located at the same school allowed for interviews to
be conducted within a limited two-month timeframe.
Interview Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
This qualitative study used a small, purposeful sample of teachers with experience
ranging from one to 30 years to examine the knowledge and motivational influences of both
novice and experienced teachers. The interviews were semi-structured, using both an informal
and formal conversational approach to ask specific open-ended questions about the teacher’s
SEL implementation and strategies used with students. For feasibility, it was important that
teachers be located at PES. The goal of this study was to use in-depth interviews to gather
meaningful information about the participants’ knowledge, beliefs, and reasoning (Johnson &
Christensen, 2013). Therefore, teachers who were willing to participate in an interview were vital
to gathering data. There were 15 teachers at PES, and the sample for this study consisted of
seven of them. All the teachers at this school received an email to invite them to participate.
This qualitative study took the constructivist approach of seeking to understand how
teachers’ culture, context, and setting shape their views through open-ended questions about the
SEL process and strategies used to improve student learning outcomes. The sources of data was
interviews. Interviews allowed for an interpersonal experience between the interviewer and the
interviewee in an in-depth and exploratory and inductive data collection process. Copious, low-

40
inference notes, verbatim and without judgments, increased the credibility of the study. As
Maxwell (2013) noted, qualitative process theory focuses on “people, situations, events and the
processes that connect these” and the researcher's analysis explains how these relationships
influence each other (p. 29).
Qualitative Data Collection and Instrumentation
Qualitative data collection methods help to understand the experiences of people, their
interpretations, and the meaning they assign to their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Patton (2002) contended that interviews are a means of finding out information about a person’s
perspectives that may not be overtly visible. This study used interviews to gain an understanding
of teachers’ knowledge and motivation related to the problem of practice as well as teachers’
perspective on how the organizational influences may support or hinder meeting the stakeholder
goal.
Interviews
Interview protocol and procedure. This evaluation study used interviews as the primary
method of data collection. As there was only one interview for each teacher, it was imperative to
establish rapport at the beginning of the interview. The positive interaction between the
researcher and participant that is respectful, nonjudgmental, and nonthreatening is vital to the
participant sharing his or her perspectives including opinions, feelings, and thoughts about the
topic (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Therefore, introductory language was communicated to the participants, including that
the reason for the study was to gain insight on teacher SEL implementation. Rubin and Rubin
(2012) contend that the researcher has the responsibility to not misrepresent the purpose of the
study to gain access to participants and reduce feelings of distrust. Second, ethical considerations

41
were explained to the participants. These considerations include the complete confidentiality of
the teacher’s name and grade taught, and that the data would be confidential and used only for
this study. Furthermore, the participants were informed about their right to withdraw at any point
during the study and that they could refrain from answering any questions they may not wish to
answer. As a recording device was used, the researcher first obtained consent to record and the
participants could press the off button on the recording device at any time during the interview.
This study used a semi-structured interview format that included open-ended questions.
Additionally, this format allowed for questions to be asked in a predetermined order with the
flexibility to use probes after each question to gain clarity or elaborate on certain responses.
Twelve questions were developed in advance and asked to facilitate teachers’ time efficiently
with focused and structured questions. The interview protocol questions target the KMO
elements presented in this study. There are four questions for each influence that are aligned to at
least one of the research questions. The questions will be asked in the order listed in the
interview protocol (Appendix A).
The researcher began by asking organizational questions to give insight into the
organizational influences that the school and district provide to teachers to implement an SEL
approach. By starting with the organization, the researcher intended to make the participant feel
at ease and know the focus was not merely on how much the participant knew. The researcher
commenced by stating that the study was being conducted to gain insight into how the school
and district promotes an SEL environment. Probes such as “What do you mean” or “Give me an
example of that” were used for clarity and elaboration when needed. After the organization-
related questions, the researcher thanked the participant for answering them and stated that the
next four questions would ask about the teacher’s work in the classroom related to SEL. The last

42
set of questions asked about the teacher’s interest and opinions on the SEL practices used in their
classroom. Questions are listed in Appendix A.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of making meaning of the data (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
For this qualitative study, the researcher conducted data analysis concurrently with their
collection. The first phase of analysis involved coding the raw data to facilitate, as Corbin and
Strauss (2008) explain, the process as “interacting with the data, making comparisons between
data, and so on, and in doing so, deriving concepts to stand for the data then developing those
concepts in terms of their properties and dimensions” (p. 66). Qualitative data were collected
through interviews to answer the research questions that were developed from the conceptual
framework.
This phase of analysis utilized both inductive open coding, assigning empirical codes as
well as deductive applying a priori codes developed from the conceptual framework. This open
coding process commenced immediately after each interview and included in the codebook to
facilitate analysis. The second phase focused on aggregating the emergent and a priori codes into
analytic/axial codes and categories that create patterns. In the third phase of data analysis, the
focus was on identifying themes from the coding process and themes that emerged in relation to
the conceptual framework and study questions. A codebook was used to categorize the emerging
themes and record their typicality among the interviews. Codes that could be categorized into
themes based on emerging patterns contributed to the research findings (Harding, 2013).
Reflection memos were written after each interview to confront the researcher’s biases
and transparency. Additionally, analytical memos were written throughout data analysis to
logically frame all pieces of data and structure ideas around assertions. This analysis process was

43
an iterative process engaging in all phases to make meaning of themes and to make assertions
from the findings.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
The quality of qualitative research relies on ensuring the credibility of the descriptions,
interpretations, explanations, and conclusions of the data collection and analysis (Maxwell,
2013). This qualitative study ensured credibility and trustworthiness by reducing threats of
researcher bias and reactivity (Maxwell, 2013). First, the researcher was aware of existing self-
preconceptions and existing theories. Second, the researcher was aware of possible influences on
the classroom setting and teachers. Various strategies were used to ensure the credibility and
trustworthiness of this study. These strategies were respondent validation during the interviews
occurring immediately after teacher responses, reflexivity to reduce personal biases, and
providing contextualization of the study through rich descriptions for transferability.
Ethics
The approach in this study was to adhere to ethical responsibilities with respect to
including human participants. Ethical attention is integral in collecting data with research
participants with an emphasis on informed consent, prevention of harm, and confidentiality
(Glesne, 2011). Therefore, this qualitative study espoused the ethical guidelines pertaining to
informed consent, voluntary participation, the confidentiality of the participants, data collection,
and the attainment of permission to record. Glesne (2011) and Rubin and Rubin (2012) asserted
that the researcher has a responsibility to the participants to abide by ethical guidelines built to
ensure the benefits of the study do not supersede the risks to the participants. As a study
involving human participants, the researcher obtained the approval of the University of Southern
California Institutional Review Board (IRB). Then, the researcher obtained approval from the

44
District IRB, followed by the participant's review of the purpose and consent to participate in this
study.
As the researcher is an employee and supervisor at an elementary school in the District,
this research was conducted at a different school site to maintain the sole role of researcher.
Creswell and Creswell (2018) recommend selecting a site that minimizes the issues of power and
influence in a study and allows for the participants’ complete and varied expressions in
qualitative research.
The researcher in this study assumed that the research participants upheld the District's
code of conduct with their students and cared about their students’ SEL. Second, the researcher
assumed teachers would answer interview questions honestly and accurately. The researcher was
cognizant of three inherent biases:
● The researcher is a supervisor within the organization;
● The researcher is of the same ethnic group as the students and some of the teachers
at the school of research;
● The researcher has over 20 years of experience at District as a teacher, leader,
and supervisor.
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) suggest it is vital for the researcher to identify and monitor his or her
biases rather than eliminate or mitigate them, understanding how these biases may influence data
collection and interpretation.
Additionally, the researcher’s role may have incurred ethical dilemmas during the data
collection. As a member of the school district, the researcher cares about upholding the district’s
code of conduct with students and maintaining a respectful teacher/student relationship.
Therefore, the researcher may have been obliged to take on the role of either intervener or

45
advocate. The intervener may wish to make right a perceived wrong. The advocate may wish to
protect students from an uncovered issue during data collection between the teacher and students
(Glesne, 2011). Reiteratively, this study implemented the IRB’s ethical codes of providing
participants sufficient information and the right to withdraw at any point, eliminating
unnecessary risks, ensuring benefits outweigh risks, and qualifying researchers (Glesne, 2011).
Finally, the confidentiality of both the participants and the data establish credibility and
trustworthiness by relying on the established code of ethics (Glesne, 2011).

46
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The study examined the KMO influences needed for Phoenix Elementary School (PES)
to maximize effectiveness when implementing SEL practices. The purpose of this study was to
interpret the KMO influences that contribute to meeting the performance goal of implementing
SEL practices by employing the five competency skills. Qualitative data were collected to
answer the research questions and validate the assumed influences. Clark and Estes’s (2008) gap
analysis inquiry framework was used to determine the performance gaps in KMO elements that
impede PES teachers from achieving their goal. The findings were analyzed through qualitative
methods (semi-structured interviews) to gain clarity through the guiding research questions:
1. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational commitments needed to
implement social emotional learning (SEL) practices?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and PES teachers’
knowledge and motivation?
Participating Stakeholders
Participants were seven PES teachers responsible for providing SEL to their students.
Among the seven teachers, there was one second grade teacher, two third grade teachers, one
fourth grade teacher, two fifth grade teachers, and one preschool special education teacher. The
participants’ teaching experience ranged from 3 to 30 years, and all participants were female. All
interviews were conducted in person. A knowledge gap was determined if less than 70% of
teachers demonstrated they did not have knowledge based on evidence from their responses.
Since there was a total of seven teachers, five or more would be considered as not having a gap.
KMO Influences and their probability of being validated to realize the stakeholder’s goal will
include recommendation in chapter 5.

47

Knowledge Findings
Qualitative interview questions centered specifically on factual, procedural, and
metacognition of the teacher stakeholder group. Moreover, questions centered around the
teachers’ understanding of SEL and the strategies integrated into their daily interaction with
students. All participants had participated in SEL training both at the district and school level
over the previous five years. Responses to interview questions related to factual knowledge
determined that none of the participants could describe or list the five SEL competencies. With
regard to procedural knowledge, the majority of the participants described how they
implemented SEL strategies. Lastly, some participants described that they reflected on their own
effectiveness in supporting the implementation of SEL.
The first research question inquired about the knowledge commitments teachers need to
successfully implement SEL practices. Knowledge is a key element in successful implementation
because it depends on teachers having declarative and procedural knowledge. A fundamental
component in analyzing a performance gap is understanding people's knowledge and skills for
successful goal achievement (Clark & Estes, 2008).
As none of the participants could describe or list the five SEL competency skills but had
taken SEL training within the previous five years, the training did not prioritize awareness in this
area. CASEL emphasizes teaching the five competency skills in K-12 education and allowing for
practice and reinforcement that will promote intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive
competence (CASEL, 2018). Although no participants knew the five competency skills, most
were able to explain how they incorporated SEL strategies and approaches in their daily
interactions with students. Most teachers could not clearly describe an SEL competency, but they

48
mentioned using the Restorative Justice program as an SEL practice. Teacher G, when asked
about implementing the five competency skills, stated,
I do teach my students how to be responsible by reflecting on their actions. When
arguments happen for examples, and they don’t respond appropriately, we do a think
sheet, in which I allow them to reflect about the situation. They take time reflect on their
own behavior. So, the next time, when they have to make a decision, there'll be ready and
aware of that.
Although Teacher G did not state that responsible decision-making was one of the SEL
competency skills, she mentioned having students reflect on their actions to teach this
competency skill. Some teachers stated they reflected on how they approach students’ SEL
development in their daily interactions with them. Teachers who did not state whether and how
they reflected answered by providing additional strategies or elaborating on those previously
mentioned. Table 6 provides evidence of factual, procedural, and metacognition knowledge
findings from the interviews of all seven teachers.
Table 6
Evidence of factual, procedural, and metacognition knowledge
Factual
Describe Five
Competency Skills
Procedural
How to Integrate SEL
Metacognitive
Reflect on SEL
Approaches n
Teacher A No Yes No
Teacher B No No No
Teacher C No Yes Yes
Teacher D No Yes Yes
Teacher E No Yes No
Teacher F No Yes Yes
Teacher G No Yes No

49
Factual Knowledge
Teachers need to know the five SEL competency skills. The interview question asked
teachers to describe or list these skills. No teachers described all of them. Teacher C described
two: relational skills and self-awareness. Teacher C commented, “Of the five emotional learning
skills, I can recall two which is relationships with others and self-awareness.” The other six
teachers were not able to list or describe the five SEL competencies. Teacher B stated, “No, I
probably know them, but right now I just can’t tell you what they are.” Similarly, Teacher F
stated, “No, I don’t.” And Teacher D commented, “No.” Teacher G on the other hand, although
not able to list or describe the five competency skills referred back to her knowledge of
strategies, she had learned at District trainings that describe the essence of the five competencies.
Teacher G stated during the interview:
So, each Restorative Justice learning circle, our community building circles have topics,
right? So how to be respectful friends. That will be one example, right? And another
example besides the RJ [Restorative Justice Program] and then Second Step would be the
we are one poster. So, name quilt, that’s another example. Another one would be Second
Steps, empathy. We talked about the empathy definition. We watched the movie and then
students know the definitions that it’s walking in somebody else’s shoes. Then the other
two I would say 100
th
day of school, and we talk about complementing each other. And
the last one I would go back and pick the RJ circle; you know how to be a good friend.
And so that will be my last example. So, two will be RJ.
Teacher G’s comments did not list or describe the five SEL competencies directly, yet through
implementation of the curricula and her training her instructional practices integrated SEL
approaches directly aligned with the five competency skills. For example, Teacher G remarked

50
that she uses community circles that allows students to build their relational skills an SEL
competency skill to teach how to be respectful friends. Additionally, Teacher G described how
she builds empathy which is the essence of the social-awareness SEL competency skill by using
the Second Step curriculum to help students take the perspective of others. Similarly, Teacher A
did not list or describe the five competencies but explained, “I would say that I teach a lot of
identifying their own feelings.” As Teacher A did not explicitly state the SEL skill of self-
awareness, nevertheless she identified an example that describes the skill.
Factual knowledge of the five skills and their impact on student social and emotional
development is essential to implementing an SEL approach. According to the literature, teachers
need to have an understanding of how self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision
making, self-management, and relationship management affect student development (Zins et al.,
2004). Although teachers did not demonstrate factual knowledge, they did articulate procedural
knowledge describing extensive use of SEL strategies with alignment to the five competency
skills. As none of the seven teachers listed or described the five SEL competency skills based on
the evidence from the interviews this represents a factual knowledge gap.
Procedural Knowledge
Teachers need to know how to integrate SEL strategies with students. The interview
question asked teachers how they integrate these strategies into their daily interactions with
students. As the literature review noted, the integration of SEL practices focuses on building
cooperative communities, using constructive conflict resolution to address disagreements, and
teaching civic values (Zins et al., 2004). Six of seven (85%) teachers described specifically how
they integrate SEL strategies. Teacher A described, “I teach students how to be aware of their
own feelings by using calming breathing techniques.” She elaborated on the techniques she used

51
for teaching the SEL competency of self-management by managing one’s emotions by stating,
“And also like yoga, breathing techniques when they’re frustrated so they could be aware of their
emotions and providing sensory input by having them listen to running water to calm them
down.” As four of seven teachers had more than 15 years of experience, they had developed
strategies to teach social emotional skills particularly through the use of a structured SEL
curriculum. The literature review pointed out that procedural knowledge is knowing how to do
something and using particular techniques or methodologies to accomplish specific tasks (Rueda,
2011). A technique for responding to student behavior is knowing when to use positive or
negative reinforcements as operant conditioning to affect their behavior (Tuckman, 2006).
Teacher E described an SEL skill of self-management that teaches students about exhibiting self-
discipline by stating, “I tell them [students] you have to be careful what you say, how you say it,
when you say it because words can be hurtful.” Furthermore, Teacher E noted:
I make it a point of touching base with every single one during the day. If it’s just a hand
on the shoulder, if it’s just a little whisper in the ear like, ‘you’re doing a good job.’ Just
so they know that just for that little moment in time, it’s just the two of us and nobody
else, and it’s just our thing. For some reason it just seems to work.
Teacher E with more than 20 years’ experience and new to PES had received the least amount of
SEL training, however was able to utilize SEL strategies that were in alignment with the five
SEL competency skills. Furthermore, Teacher E described herself as “I’m a seasoned person, the
kids kind of see me in a way that maybe they wouldn’t see the younger teachers.” Teacher E
viewed her experience in teaching as an asset that helped build connections with her students.
Another SEL competency demonstrated in the strategies teachers implemented was the skill of
responsible decision-making by teaching students to evaluate the consequences of their actions.

52
Teacher G noted, “I give them time to think about how their actions are important in making
responsible decisions and we have class discussions about this.” Similarly, Teacher C
commented, “I teach students to make positive choices by using a reflection board in the
classroom where students can post their thoughts and override negative thoughts.” Both Teacher
G and Teacher C implemented SEL strategies that allowed their students to build their
responsible decision-making skills. Examples of strategies teachers used to teach the SEL
competency of relationship skills include the following. Teacher C noted, “I have community
circles three times a week to allow students to listen actively in order to collectively resolve
conflicts that exist between students in my class.” Likewise, Teacher F commented, “I greet
students at the door to make sure they understand that they’re coming into an environment and a
classroom that is welcoming.” Teachers demonstrated procedural knowledge by integrating SEL
throughout the school’s academic curricula and establishing a culture of supportive student-
teacher relationships.
While teachers underwent professional development that did not include specific training
on the five competency skills but, rather, on the SEL curriculum, teachers felt positively about
integrating SEL practices. Despite Teacher G’s lack of factual knowledge regarding the skills,
she was able to describe numerous SEL techniques. In particular, Teacher G described how she
addressed the issue of cyberbullying that her class was experiencing. Teacher G noted, “I ask
students how it makes them feel to be bullied and then I use different scenarios to teach digital
citizenship.” As six of seven teachers (85%) demonstrated procedural knowledge by knowing
how to integrate SEL strategies in their classroom based on the evidence from the interviews this
does not represent a gap.

53
Metacognitive Knowledge
Teachers need to know how to reflect on their effectiveness in supporting SEL
implementation. The interview questions asked teachers if they reflected on how they
approached students’ SEL development in their daily interactions with students. Three of the
seven teachers said they engaged in reflection about their approaches. As the literature review
highlighted, metacognition provides awareness of what strategies work and the monitoring and
control of knowing when to use them (Mayer, 2011). The collective comments of teachers who
reflected on their SEL approaches revealed that the reflection centered on teachers being aware
of their behaviors and attitudes as models of what they expect of their students. Teacher D
commented, “So I realize that if I’m impatient then I can’t turn around and say, ‘why aren’t you
asking when you don’t understand?’ Well, you’re not asking because I’m too impatient with
your response.” Teacher D recognized that teaching SEL skills to students involves a reciprocal
relationship to learning and performance. Teacher F voiced similar concerns about reflecting,
“Every day because my demeanor, manners towards them, that they feel comfortable and
understand that I’m welcoming them, that I look forward to seeing them.” Similarly, Teacher C
stated, “Sometimes, the reflection is immediate, wondering if what I said, how I reacted was
okay or if I could have said or done something differently.” Collectively, these three teachers
found reflection an important aspect of how they approach students’ social emotional learning
development in their daily interactions with their students. Additionally, they demonstrated
knowledge of self as a learner and the connection to the outcomes they wished to achieve. The
teachers who did not voice that they reflected on their SEL approaches answered the interview
question by giving examples of SEL strategies they use in the classroom. Teacher G commented,
“We do daily check-ins at the beginning of the day to see how students are feeling.” Similarly,

54
Teacher E shared, "Again, nip it in the bud, take it outside and I just ask them what’s going on or
what’s going on at home.” Both Teacher G and Teacher E provided examples of procedural
knowledge of SEL practices instead of indicating whether they reflected on their own SEL
approaches. As three of seven teachers (42%) revealed in the interviews knowledge of
metacognition, the data suggest a metacognition knowledge gap in achieving effective SEL
implementation at PES.
Motivation Findings
Teacher motivation is key for SEL implementation, as it determines teacher willingness
to use and develop SEL practices. Utility value and self-efficacy emerged from the literature as
essential for teachers when implementing SEL. The first research question examined what
teacher commitments are needed to implement SEL practices. As such, PES teachers must find
value and feel confident in committing to implementing SEL practices. Individuals’ actions are
motivated and directed by their beliefs about their capabilities to affect their environmental
circumstances (Bandura, 2000). The findings suggest that PES teachers see the value of using
SEL strategies to increase students’ learning outcomes. All participants stated they believed that
teaching SEL is important. Teacher C stated, “I think it is extremely important that social
emotional competency skills be developed in students to help them access the instruction they
are receiving.” The utility-value motivational theory holds that the value individuals place on
accomplishing a task or learning is important to success (Eccles, 2006).
Teachers need to feel confident in their ability to implement SEL practices. The majority
of teachers revealed they felt confident in implementing SEL practices when they had the
evidenced-based curricula of Second Step and Restorative Justice to guide them. Teacher C
explained, “It’s nice to be able to follow a structured lesson plan like Second Step or to be able to

55
locate a restorative justice practice for a specific concern.” The findings suggest that teachers’
confidence was connected to having an SEL curriculum that was viewed as a tool of structure to
teach SEL. Teacher F noted, “Definitely [using SEL curriculums]...because it gives you a tool
and it gives you structure if you don’t know what to say, to go ahead and guide your students
through certain topics or subjects.” A motivation gap was determined if less than 70% of
teachers demonstrated lack of motivation based on evidence from their responses. Since there
was a total of seven teachers, five or more would be considered as not having a gap. The table
below provides evidence of the seven teachers’ utility value and self-efficacy followed by further
explanation of each of the motivation influences findings.
Table 7
Evidence of Utility value and Self-Efficacy
Utility Value Self-Efficacy
Importance of SEL Impact on Student Performance Confidence
Teacher A Yes Yes Yes
Teacher B Yes Yes Yes
Teacher C Yes No Yes
Teacher D Yes Yes Yes
Teacher E Yes No No
Teacher F Yes Yes Yes
Teacher G Yes Yes Yes

Utility
Implementation of SEL practices requires teachers to see value in teaching students the
five competency skills. The findings were that all seven teachers see SEL as an important
indicator of student success. Providing SEL instruction was part of each teacher’s daily focus
and regarded as having an impact on student performance outcomes. Teacher F commented, “It’s
extremely important to be an effective teacher if you don’t address, if you don’t become
knowledgeable about how students’ social emotional learning state affects their academics.”

56
Similarly, Teacher B noted, “If a student doesn’t feel good about the classroom, doesn’t feel
good about you, doesn’t feel good about their friends, they’re not going to be motivated to
learn.” SEL was seen by teachers as affecting student academic outcomes and motivation to
learn in an environment where students’ feeling about school impacted their performance
outcomes. Teacher F explained, “It’s important to give students time to address their social
emotional learning because that can hinder their actual academic learning.” The importance
teachers placed on SEL was tied to developing student competency skills to improve how
students felt about their learning environment. Teacher A stated, “I think it is extremely
important that social emotional competency skills be developed in students because they need
these skills to help them with self-regulation and to help them learn how to communicate with
others.” Teachers viewed SEL competency skill development as an important factor affecting
student feelings, behaviors and attitudes that impacted student learning.
Teachers valued SEL instruction to increase students’ feelings of safety. Teacher D
commented, “Yeah, there are a couple [students] that I think it’s holding them back, and I guess
the point is their feeling of maybe not feeling safe, not knowing makes them less likely to ask for
help and they disengage more quickly than the rest.” Teacher G expressed:
So, I have to create a community where all my students feel safe. Everyone is welcomed
and their ideas are valid. We have to create this positive environment, safe environment
so they can learn and we see progress in their behavior as well as their academics.
Teachers believed that the implementation of SEL instruction enabled them to create safe
learning environments for their students that impacted student engagement both behaviorally and
academically. As seven of seven teachers (100%) revealed in the interviews the importance of

57
SEL, the data suggest there is not a gap in utility value. Finding value in SEL implementation is
impacted by the level of self-efficacy teachers hold.
Self-Efficacy
Teachers’ self-efficacy boosts their implementation of SEL approaches. One of seven
teachers indicated low confidence in implementing SEL practices. In particular, Teacher E noted,
“It’s important that you show a child you care, but I’m not sure if what I am doing is working.”
Compared to the other six teachers, Teacher E, new to the school, had received the least amount
of SEL training. Collectively, all six teachers but Teacher E indicated self-efficacy in
implementing SEL had five or more years of SEL professional development. The literature
suggests that learning and motivation are enhanced when learners have positive expectancies for
success (Pajares, 2006). Teacher A commented, “I’m pretty confident whatever methods and
strategies and practices are always changing and we always need to be proactive and educate
ourselves and informing ourselves to see where the new strategies and new methods and things
like that.” Similarly, Teacher G noted,
We have had professional development on Second Step, and we were provided with the
kits, the posters, and even a little role play during that time. So, we’re, as a staff, pretty
confident about social emotional learning and the curriculum and the philosophy that
we’ve been using here.
As such, the correlation between increased training and believing in being capable of performing
the task was demonstrated by these six teachers. Teacher confidence was related to using the
Second Step and Restorative Justice curricula where the competency skills are embedded in
these programs rather than teaching each skill in isolation. An interview question asked teachers
if using an evidenced-based program increased their confidence in effectively implementing SEL

58
strategies. Teacher B commented, “I really appreciate Second Step and Restorative Justice
because they are very specific, very intentional, and very purposeful, and somebody else has
thought about it, and put work into it.” Likewise, Teacher D explained, “I consider Second Step a
plan to teach relational skills to students.” And Teacher A remarked, “They [SEL programs] help
us implement different social skills and strategies when it comes to social emotional learning.”
These teachers expressed that SEL programs like Second Step and Restorative Justice program
enabled them to implement SEL practices increasing their confidence to effectively provide SEL
instruction to students. Teacher E who had low confidence in implementing SEL noted,
“Unfortunately, now that I’m here, I just feel so overwhelmed that I haven’t done it with
fidelity.” Teacher E who was new to the school had minimal training in SEL programs which
contributed to her low confidence in implementing SEL practices. Jointly, utility value and self-
efficacy correspond to the motivation influencers having an impact on SEL implementation. As
six of seven teachers (85%) revealed in the interviews confidence in implementing SEL, the data
suggest there is no gap in the self-efficacy motivation influencer. The findings of the interaction
between organizational culture and context and teachers’ knowledge and motivation will be
addressed.
Organizational Findings
Qualitative interview questions were asked to determine organizational influences
focused on cultural models and cultural settings that support the implementation of SEL
practices. Organizational influence questions sought to gain an understanding of how the school
and District leaders promote SEL practices. Additionally, questions were asked to determine the
resources and training provided to aid in the implementation of SEL and whether there was a
need for additional training. The literature points out that an absence of effective work processes

59
and resources that can impede individuals from achieving the organization’s goals, even if there
are strong knowledge and motivation influencers (Clark & Estes, 2008). The findings reveal both
knowledge and motivation increased with organizational acceptance and willingness to support
SEL by providing resources to teachers. Table 8 lists the cultural models and cultural settings
findings.
Table 8
Evidence of Cultural Models and Cultural Settings
Models Settings
Acceptance/Willingness to Promote SEL Resources/Training Provided
Teacher A Yes Yes
Teacher B Yes Yes
Teacher C Yes Yes
Teacher D Yes More Needed
Teacher E Yes Yes
Teacher F Yes Yes
Teacher G Yes Yes

Cultural Model
The organization needs a culture of acceptance and willingness to use SEL practices and
approaches. The findings demonstrate the school’s leaders and the District have an impact on
establishing the core values of the school culture and the processes put in place to provide the
knowledge and motivation through training and prioritization of SEL. The leading theme that
emerged calling attention to the interaction on teacher knowledge and motivation was resources
that included SEL professional development, SEL instructional materials and making SEL
instruction part of the school culture. All seven teachers viewed the provision of training as an
indicator of the importance of SEL. Teacher G noted, “Our leadership team promoted and trained
the teachers here at school and it is part of our daily schedule to teach SEL.” School leaders
require allocating time during the instructional day for all teachers to provide SEL to their

60
students. Teacher F commented, “We have to set time into our classroom structure, into our
classroom schedules so that way we can go ahead and address what students need.” All teachers
indicated that they made time in their daily schedules to provide SEL instruction using the
curricula Second Step and Restorative Justice.
The organization provided a culture of acceptance and willingness for SEL
implementation by ensuring that teachers had support in implementing SEL practices after
training by having other staff such as the principal, assistant principal and the psychologist
provide demonstration lessons and co-teach with teachers to ensure implementation of new SEL
strategies. Teacher C commented, “I find it helpful when the school psychologist helps me
practice what I learn in training.” Similarly, Teacher G noted,
And we also have the psychologist who also helps us, the teachers are not really
comfortable with the Restorative Justice community building circles. She’ll
[psychologist] literally go into the classroom and help teachers by going through the
whole process, the whole lesson, about like 30 minutes, the whole lesson, leading the
class so that the teacher who is not comfortable doing that, she’s there to support. So,
there is a lot of support going on in our school.
Additionally, school leaders allowed teachers to observe other teachers delivering a SEL lesson.
Teacher A stated, “I know Ms. Vargas has opened her classroom to any teacher that needs help
on implementing by letting teachers observe her teaching SEL lessons.” Teachers expressed
being able to observe their colleagues helped them feel more confident in going back to their
classrooms and implementing their new learning. Likewise, Teacher B noted, “I had Ms. V help
me with the lesson on bullying and needed help on how to implement that lesson.”

61
The school leaders’ focus on ensuring that teachers implemented SEL practices by
providing training and supports built a culture of acceptance at PES. As seven of seven teachers
(100%) revealed the organization promoted a culture of acceptance and willingness the gap was
invalidated. The willingness and acceptance of SEL by the school and district leaders contributed
to establishing cultural settings that provided resources for SEL implementation.
Cultural Settings
The organization needs to have resources and supports for teachers to implement SEL
practices. The evidence suggests that the organization provides teachers with resources to do so.
The District provided training on the Second Step program, the Restorative Justice program, and
the Harmony program over the five years before this study. Teacher C commented, “There are
District wide trainings that all teachers must complete.” The District has made SEL training a
priority by provided training to all teachers on SEL practices on Saturdays, Sundays and after-
school compensating teachers monetarily to attend. Additionally, PES leaders’ goal was to
provide consistency by continuing the training at the school site mainly focusing on the SEL
curriculum Second Step and Restorative Justice programs. Although the training was not focused
specifically on teaching the five SEL competency skills, the programs embedded the essence of
these skills. Teacher F noted,
So, one of the things that I think is very effective is if there’s consistency within your
own instructional time frame of SEL practices. And if the school adopts the Restorative
Justice practices, and really believes in the practices, it can set a positive school culture.
So, you really have to make sure that you implement these practices consistently. And it’s
not a matter of once in a while or once in a blue moon, but really making an effort to
make it part of your curriculum and your scheduling.

62
Conversely Teacher D commented, “I’m much better about doing Second Step in the beginning
of the year because that’s when we talk about it and by the second semester, I’ve fallen off.”
Similarly, Teacher C commented, “As far as additional training/support, I’d like to see continued
PDs [professional development] at my school site; to serve as reminders to implement
instruction, to continue to provide resources, to continue to support me as an educator.” The
reflections shared by Teacher F, D and C highlight one of the challenges associated with
ensuring that training is revisited throughout the school year. Some teachers may need more
training on specific strategies to ensure the continuation of learning and implementation of SEL
practices.
In addition to professional development, school leaders provided support to teachers by
ensuring that teachers had the necessary instructional materials to implement SEL instruction.
School leaders provided funding for SEL instructional materials needed for implementation.
Teacher G commented, “And the other thing is two years ago we had a professional development
on Second Step and we were provided with the kits, the posters and even a little role play during
that time.” Teacher B noted, “After the PDs [professional development] the principal will have
sometimes additional lessons that he gets from different sources and he shares with us.”
The evidence suggests that the professional development of SEL strategies and programs
increased teachers’ implementation and confidence. Moreover, PES leaders made an effort to
provide professional development that was continuous throughout the school year, increasing
expertise and motivation. Teacher G noted, “So, we’re, as a staff, pretty confident about social
emotional learning and the curriculum and the philosophy that we’ve been using here because of
all the training.” As six of seven teachers (85%) revealed the organization provided the resources
and supports to implement SEL the gap was invalidated.

63
Synthesis
The findings emanating from this qualitative study presented were organized by the
assumed KMO influences that may affect teachers’ ability to achieve the goal of implementing
social emotional learning practices by employing the five competency skills. Following the
conceptual framework outline, the data was grouped by influence type. Data analysis yielded
findings regarding the KMO influences on the implementation of SEL practices at PES. The
distance between teachers’ performance goals and their current performance was identified using
the Clark and Estes (2008) systematic and analytic framework. The framework provided a
process for determining the KMO influences on teachers to identify appropriate solutions to meet
the organization’s goal. The KMO influences examined teachers’ knowledge of SEL practices,
SEL integration, and reflection as well as their motivation related to value, self-efficacy, and the
organization’s SEL acceptance, and resources provided.
From the interviews, three themes surfaced as essential to addressing the research
questions. First, SEL strategy integration, despite not knowing the five SEL competency skills,
teachers were able to articulate SEL strategies used with their students. Being able to use these
strategies increased their self-efficacy, giving them confidence in their SEL practices. Teacher F
explained that she did not know the five skills, but she knew how to meet her students’ social
emotional needs. Teacher F stated,
Not in those specific areas [five SEL competency skills], it would be more related to the
restorative justice practices as my internal beliefs of what I feel a person has a right to
feel when they come to my classroom.
Among all participants, Teacher C was able to describe two of the five competency skills.
Teacher C noted, “I can recall two: relationships with others and self-awareness.” Teachers’

64
validated knowledge gaps were limited awareness of the five competencies and reflection on
their effectiveness. Although the District and school had provided extensive professional
development on SEL, the results suggest limited training on the five competency skills and
limited opportunities for teachers to reflect on their SEL approaches. Knowing how to integrate
SEL practices was an invalidated gap as all teachers demonstrated procedural knowledge.
Although teachers did not know the five SEL competency skills, they knew how to use the
strategies, particularly in the area of self-awareness that teaches students to identify their
emotions and the responsible decision-making skills of identifying and solving problems. High
utility value and self-efficacy stemmed from the training teachers received from the District and
from school leaders building a culture of awareness and acceptance at PES.
Although teachers had the procedural knowledge of integrating SEL strategies, the
findings did not reveal evidence that students were contextualizing these strategies in their own
personal lives. Mayer (2011) maintains that facilitating the transfer of knowledge promotes
learning through guidance, coaching, and other scaffolding during performance. An area of
concern is ensuring that students acquire SEL skills that will be implemented in their lives to
improve their performance and build life-long skills. Ultimately, the goal is for teachers to impart
to students SEL competency skills to improve student outcomes. Helping students connect and
organize new knowledge and construct meaning influences how they learn and apply what they
have learned (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006).
The second theme that emerged was prioritization of SEL. Although participants could
not list or describe the five skills, they understood the importance of SEL. All teachers noted that
SEL provides students with positive academic outcomes. Teacher A commented, “It’s huge. For
my kids, competency skills help them be motivated and it boosts their self-esteem.” Additionally,

65
Teacher F expressed, “It is extremely important. You cannot be an effective teacher if you don’t
address... if you don’t become knowledgeable about how students’ social emotional learning
state affects their academics.” Teachers’ self-efficacy was associated with the degree of training
they received. The motivation to achieve their goals is more complex than people’s knowledge
(Clark & Estes, 2008). The majority of participants believed they were able to provide SEL
because, for the previous five years, they had sufficient and continuous training. All teachers
recognized the utility value of these strategies to improve their students’ academic outcomes.
Teachers’ valuing of SEL increased because their self-efficacy increased due to the training they
received.
Third, using an evidenced-based curriculum or program facilitated the implementation of
SEL practices. Six teachers expressed that they felt more confident in providing SEL because
they had training in the Second Step curriculum and the Restorative Justice program. Teachers
revealed that using an SEL curriculum provided lesson structure and instructional resources.
Teacher B commented,
Yes, because these programs target these areas of social emotional learning. As I shared
earlier, I think the curriculum is important because it’s very systemic, and it’s very
purposeful, and it is objective-driven. We know exactly where we need to go, in what we
need to teach. So, we just have to implement it.
In contrast, Teacher E, who had been at PES for less than a year and had not had as much
training as the other teachers, expressed, “Unfortunately, now that I’m here, I just feel so
overwhelmed that I haven’t done it with fidelity. I haven’t used it because I need to learn more
about it.” For many teachers, using a curriculum or program makes the implementation of SEL
possible. The District and the school culture provided acceptance and willingness to develop

66
SEL practices by training teachers. Qualitative findings indicated that the District and school, in
addition to creating a culture of acceptance, provided resources with teacher training and
curriculum materials. Additionally, support for teachers from the principal and school
psychologist provided feedback to teachers and enabled collaboration on SEL lessons to address
teacher concerns. Finally, the interaction between the KMO influences and teachers’ SEL
practices was important to actualizing the goal of SEL implementation at PES. Understanding
the commitments needed to implement SEL and the KMO influences were essential in
considering validated gaps presented in the data.

67
CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS
Organizational Context and Mission
The District is one of the largest school employers in the nation. It has an elected school
board and serves approximately 100,000 students and 50,000 employees. Over 70% of the
students are Latino, and there are smaller populations of African American, Asian, Filipino, and
White students. Among them, 82% qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The District's
strategic plan for 2016–2019 was written during the tenure of the previous superintendent and
strategic plan development team. At the center of this plan is the commitment to achieve a 100%
graduation rate. As part of the safety goal, schools are to provide safe learning environments that
foster success through emotional safety, positive relationships, and school connectedness
(District, 2016). The plan calls for schools to implement an SEL curriculum, such as Second
Step, Restorative Justice, and Stanford Harmony to increase students’ SEL competency skills.
As mentioned in Chapter One, Phoenix Elementary School (PES) is a public school
comprised of second through fifth grades. The school enrolls 250 students, of whom 85% who
qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Demographically, the student population is 90%
Hispanic, 5% Filipino, and 5% other ethnicities. Fifteen teachers and two school site
administrators serve students at PES.
Organizational Performance Goal
This study emerged from the District’s goal of school safety. The Strategic Plan (District,
2016) recommends that schools ensure all students feel safe, cared for, connected, and respected.
Furthermore, this goal seeks to provide students with emotional safety. Consequently, schools
must be trained and implement an evidence-based program, such as Restorative Justice, Second
Step, or Stanford Harmony by June 2021. To accomplish this goal, standard practice is to model

68
and reinforce positive behavior as part of each school’s positive behavior and intervention plan.
A second standard is that all staff will serve the whole child by establishing healthy relationships
in which students feel emotionally safe, respected, and valued, as measured by the school’s
online referral system.
Description of Stakeholder Groups
The importance of stakeholder relationships lies in working on meaningful, focused, and
strategic actions that accomplish the organization’s goals (Lewis, 2011). For example, teachers
working on providing a safe school environment for students can influence the effectiveness and
fidelity of implementing an SEL program in their classrooms. The three key stakeholders in this
organization are the school site administrators, students, and teachers.
Goal of the Stakeholder Group for the Study
Table 2 shows the relationship between the organizational mission, global goal, and the
performance goals of teachers, administrators, and students in the organization.
Stakeholder Group of Focus
The stakeholders of focus for this study were the teachers. While all stakeholders
contribute to the achievement of the overall organizational goal, it was important to evaluate
where teachers were regarding their performance goal because their role is vital to meeting this
goal. As teachers have the most interactions with students, they are central to providing a safe
environment.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which PES is meeting its goal of
100% of teachers integrating an SEL practices by June 2021. The analysis focused on KMO
influences on efforts to achieve the organizational goal. While a complete performance

69
evaluation would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes, the stakeholders for this
analysis were all the teachers at PES. Two research questions guided this study:
1. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational commitments needed to
implement social emotional learning (SEL) practices?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and PES teachers'
knowledge and motivation?
Introduction and Overview: Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. The three assumed knowledge influences and their probability of being
validated to realize the stakeholder’s goal are identified in Table 9. Data sources were semi-
structured interviews as well as the literature review and Clark and Estes’s (2008) process of
analyzing performance gaps by understanding people's knowledge and skills for successful goal
achievement. Declarative (factual), procedural and metacognitive knowledge, as described by
Krathwohl (2002), were evaluated. Knowledge points to the facts and information needed to
understand and apply a concept (Krathwohl, 2002). Knowledge types are marked by the
following abbreviations: (D)eclarative; (P)rocedural; (M)etacognitive. Table 9 also includes the
principles that explain and predict the high probability of the influence being validated to achieve
the stakeholders’ goal.

70
Table 9
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Validated
as a Gap?
Yes, High
Probability
or No
(V, HP, N)
Priorit
y
Yes,
No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
(Factual)
Teachers need to know the
five SEL competencies. (D)

Information Processing
System Theory
HP Y Integrating
auditory and
visual information
maximizes
working memory
capacity (Mayer,
2011).

Provide training that
defines each SEL
competency skill with
auditory and visual
models that guides
teachers through the
development and
implementation of each
skill.
Teachers need to know how to
integrate SEL strategies with
students.(P)
N Y Modeling to-be-
learned strategies
or behaviors
improves
learning, and
performance
(Denler, Wolters,
& Benzon, 2009).

Modeled behavior
is more likely to
be adopted if the
model is credible,
similar (e.g.,
gender, culturally
appropriate), and
the behavior has
functional value
(Denler et al.,
2009).
Utilize master peer
teachers to model for
teachers through
observation of
competency skills and
practice in the master
teacher’s classroom.

71
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Validated
as a Gap?
Yes, High
Probability
or No
(V, HP, N)
Priorit
y
Yes,
No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need to know how to
reflect on their own
effectiveness in supporting the
implementation of SEL. (M)
HP Y Metacognition
impacts both
teaching and
learning (Mayer,
2011)

Metacognition is
reinforced when
the learner is
provided
opportunities to
engage in guided
self-monitoring
and self-
assessment
(Baker, 2006).
Provide peer
collaboration and
discussion with
experienced teacher
coaches where teachers
can discuss their
strategies and
processes related to
their effectiveness.

Encourage the learner
to keep a thinking
journal that can be
used to provide the
teacher opportunities to
debrief what worked
and what didn’t work
after completion of the
task.

Increasing teachers' declarative (factual) knowledge of the five SEL competency
skills. Results showed that PES teachers lacked knowledge about the five SEL competency
skills. Declarative knowledge is the understanding of information that is factual or conceptual
(Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Integrating auditory and visual information maximizes working
memory capacity (Mayer, 2011). A recommendation for addressing this gap is grounded in
information processing theory that will provide PES teachers with information about the five
competency skills through meaningful training that presents auditory and visual information.
According to Clark and Estes (2008), giving people information about their jobs to succeed
allows them to identify useful strategies or procedures. A recommendation is to provide PES
teachers with information that defines SEL competency skills and includes models to help them
make sense of the information rather than just focus on memorization. Engaging teachers in

72
training about the five SEL competency skills will provide factual knowledge to help teachers
implement this new learning.
Implementing SEL practices requires declarative, procedural, and metacognitive
knowledge. A 2013 report commissioned by CASEL found that 93% of teachers surveyed want a
greater focus on SEL in schools. Furthermore, the survey found that teachers agree that social
and emotional skills are teachable. Durlak et al. (2011) found that mastering SEL competencies
contributes to greater well-being and increased school performance. When knowledge-related
SEL implementation occurs consistently, students internalize SEL approaches, make responsible
decisions, and improve their relationship skills (Sznitman et al., 2011). The evidence supports
providing PES teachers with knowledge information about the five SEL competency skills with
models to improve learning and performance.
Procedural knowledge: Integrating SEL strategies. The data indicated that, while
teachers need to learn more of the competency skills, all had procedural knowledge.
Consequently, this procedural knowledge was attributed and acquired through teachers’
experiences and years of teaching students. Particularly, teachers had developed their own
strategies throughout their on the job teaching experience and also from the SEL training they
received through District professional development. SEL strategies were implemented by all
teachers to address student misbehaviors that were in alignment with SEL practices, however it
was not evident whether teachers knew if these strategies were correct or not . Specifically, the
gap in factual knowledge did not hinder teachers’ ability to integrate SEL strategies related to the
five competency skills. A principle for addressing a gap is information processing theory, which
holds that how individuals organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they
know (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). A recommendation is for teachers to engage in a job aid

73
that will provide step-by-step instructions on specific strategies using the five competency skills
and allow them to implement their new learning with guided practice and corrective feedback.
According to Clark and Estes (2008), training provides information coupled with practice and
feedback. PES teachers who have gained the knowledge on the competency skills need training
that provides step-by-step strategies for implementing each skill with feedback from colleagues
or school and district administrators.
Implementing SEL practices requires procedural, or how-to knowledge (Clark & Estes,
2008; Krathwohl, 2002;). Payton et al. (2008) found SEL programs provide educational benefits.
According to Zins et al. (2004), mastery and effective use of competencies starting in the early
elementary grades are necessary for building students’ social emotional well-being.
Consequently, teachers who know how to implement SEL competency skills will integrate them
into their daily interactions with students. Furthermore, Cristóvão et al. (2017) point out that, as
with academic skills, SEL competency skills must be explicitly taught. A recommendation is for
PES teachers to engage in a job aid that allows for practice and feedback with peer teacher
observations. For example, a teacher will observe a peer teacher delivering a SEL lesson focused
on the competency skills. The teacher will then deliver the same lesson and have the peer teacher
observe followed by a debrief with the peer teacher providing feedback to the teacher.
Metacognitive knowledge: Teachers need to reflect on their effectiveness in SEL
implementation. The findings of this study revealed that four participants do not reflect on their
effectiveness in supporting the implementation of SEL. Metacognition affects both teaching and
learning (Mayer, 2011). A recommendation is for teachers to engage in peer collaboration and
discussions with experienced teacher coaches to discuss strategies and their effectiveness. PES
teachers need to reflect on what they know about SEL, what strategies they use, and these

74
strategies’ effectiveness. Learning and motivation are enhanced when learners set goals, monitor
their performance, and evaluate their progress towards achieving their goals (Ambrose et al.,
2012; Mayer, 2011). A recommendation is for teachers to keep a thinking journal that can be
used to debrief on what worked and what did not after the new learning. Training should focus
on peer collaboration and discussions about strategies and processes related to their effectiveness
in implementing the five competency skills.
Metacognition gives a person awareness of strategies that work as well as the monitoring
and control of knowing when to use them (Mayer, 2011). Teachers’ metacognition of their
effectiveness will provide reflection and understanding of their strengths and weaknesses when
implementing SEL practices. Rodgers (2002) explains that learning communities that implement
reflective practices are better suited to increase student learning. One study found that collective
and shared metacognition about practices were most effective in enhancing teachers’ learning
and growth (Lauman, 2011).
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction. The motivation influences listed in Table 10 represent the complete list of
assumed motivation influences and their probability of being validated based on the most
frequently mentioned motivation influences and supported by both the literature review and the
review of motivation theory. Wigfield and Eccles (2000) contend that motivation influences
predict a person’s confidence and potential opportunities to overcome challenges when expected
to achieve mastery or meet performance goals. Clark and Estes (2008) stated that motivation is
vital in the choices people make toward their goals, the perseverance needed to achieve the
goals, and the amount of mental effort put forth to meet the goals. After identifying the gap in
performance, utility value and self-efficacy emerged as the two influences on motivational

75
behaviors. Additionally, Table 10 includes the recommendations for the motivation influences
based on theoretical principles.

76
Table 10
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Motivation
Influence*

Validated as a
Gap
Yes, High
Probability, No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendatio
n
Utility Value – Teachers
need to see the value of
using SEL strategies to
increase students’ learning
outcomes.
N Y Create a
community of
learners where
everyone
supports
everyone else’s
attempts to
learn (Yough
& Anderman,
2006).

Learning and
motivation are
enhanced if the
learner values
the task
(Eccles, 2006).

Rationales that
include a
discussion of
the importance
and utility
value of the
work or
learning can
help learners
develop
positive values
(Eccles, 2006;
Pintrich,
2003).
Provide learning
communities
where
discussions on
the development
of classroom
strategies are
shared with
novice teachers.

Provide teachers
an opportunity
to utilize a
research-based
SEL curriculum
to build upon
the five
competency
skills.

77
Assumed Motivation
Influence*

Validated as a
Gap
Yes, High
Probability, No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendatio
n
Self-Efficacy – Teachers
need to feel confident in
their ability to implement
SEL practices.
N Y High self-
efficacy can
positively
influence
motivation
(Pajares,
2006).

Higher
expectations
for success and
perceptions of
confidence can
positively
influence
learning and
motivation
(Eccles, 2006).

Feedback and
modeling
increase self-
efficacy
(Pajares,
2006).
Provide teachers
with
information that
is structured and
provides
feedback on
their
effectiveness in
implementing
SEL practices.

Provide teachers
with feedback
from peers and
peer
observations
that support
opportunities for
practice.

Provide teachers
with
opportunities to
observe other
teachers
implementing
SEL practices
and provide an
opportunity for
the teacher to
engage in
discussion about
the strategies
observed and
get feedback

Teachers need to see the value of implementing SEL strategies to increase students’
learning outcomes. All teachers indicated that they see the value in implementing SEL
strategies to increase their students’ learning outcomes. A recommendation informed by utility

78
value theory is proposed to close this motivation gap. Rationales that include a discussion of the
importance and utility value of the work or learning can help learners develop positive values
(Eccles, 2006; Pintrich, 2003). A recommendation to support SEL utility value and address a gap
is to provide training to present the rationale in SEL and its impact on academic achievement.
Included in the training are strategies that will help teachers develop positive perceptions about
the five competency skills. Furthermore, this recommendation includes providing teachers
opportunities to use a research-based curriculum, such as Second Step, Harmony, or Restorative
Justice practices, to activate teachers’ interest and increase motivation.
Teachers who highly value SEL are more likely to engage in efforts to meet the
stakeholder goal and expect student performance to improve as a result. Studies show that
individuals value goal completion when they feel that their efforts contribute to future success
(Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). Schools that promote students’ SEL increase students’ academic
achievement (Aspen Institute, 2019; Elias & Arnold, 2006; Zins et al., 2004). As previously
mentioned, Payton et al. (2008) noted the educational benefits of SEL programs. The utility-
value motivational theory holds that the value individuals place on accomplishing a task or
learning is important to success (Eccles, 2006).
Teachers need to feel confident in their ability to implement SEL practices. High
self-efficacy can increase motivation (Pajares, 2006). Results indicate that most participants felt
confident in implementing SEL practices. Specifically, they described a lack of confidence in
teaching the five competency skills. The principle of self-efficacy theory may help close a
motivation influence gap. A recommendation is to provide teachers structured information and
provide feedback on their effectiveness in implementing these practices. Pajares (2006) noted
that feedback and modeling increase self-efficacy. An additional recommendation is to provide

79
teachers opportunities to observe other teachers implementing these practices and engaging in
discussions about the strategies observed. Teachers’ expectations for success and perceptions of
confidence can positively influence learning and motivation (Eccles, 2006).
Individuals’ actions are motivated and directed by their beliefs about their ability to shape
their environmental circumstances (Bandura, 2000). Zins et al. (2007) maintain that positive
reinforcement and observing others being successful at a task motivates individuals to persist.
Motivationally, peer modeling significantly influences self-efficacy beliefs (Pajares, 1996). Self-
efficacy beliefs are assessed by an individual’s level and strength in their confidence to
accomplish a task or succeed in a situation (Pajares, 1996). Teachers’ beliefs about their ability
to implement SEL strategies may increase with opportunities to observe peers and obtain
feedback.
Organization Recommendations
Introduction. The organizational influences in Table 11 represent the complete list of
assumed organization influences and their probability of being validated based on the most
frequently mentioned organization influences and supported by both the literature review and the
review of organization and culture theory. Organizations have cultures that include “the core
values, goals, beliefs, emotions, and processes learned as people develop over time in our family
and in our work environment” (Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 108). Table 11 also shows the
recommendations for these influences based on theoretical principles.

80
Table 11
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Organization
Influence*
Validated as a
Gap
Yes, High
Probability, No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation

Context-
Specific
Recommendatio
n
(Cultural Model)
The organization needs
a culture of acceptance
and willingness to use
SEL practices and
approaches.
N Y Accountability-
principle #8

School leadership is
an important factor in
building capacity and
student achievement
(Waters, Marzano &
McNulty, 2003).

.

Organizational
performance
increases when top
management is
continually involved
in the improvement
process (Clark &
Estes, 2008)
School leaders
develop ongoing
professional
development for
teachers that
includes training
to build SEL
learning capacity
of all teachers.

School leaders
and teachers
prioritize
attending in-
service training
as well as
outside vendor
training to
increase SEL
practices school-
wide.
(Cultural Settings)
The organization needs
to have resources and
support for teachers to
implement SEL
practices.
N

Y Organizational
Change, Clark &
Estes, 2008.

Effective change
efforts ensure that
everyone has the
resources
(equipment,
personnel, time, etc.)
needed to do their
job, and that if there
are resource
shortages, then
resources are aligned
with organizational
priorities (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
School and
District leaders
prioritize sources
of funding to
include
professional
development on
SEL strategies
and practices.

81
A culture of acceptance and willingness to use SEL practices. The results revealed
that seven of seven (100%) of participants value and use SEL practices. Building the capacity of
an organization is crucial in improving both the institution and its accountability systems.
Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) describe a cultural model as the norm in an organization that
is generally known and understood by the community that participates in that culture. A
recommendation grounded in accountability theory addresses organizational gaps. School
leadership is an important factor in building capacity and student achievement (Waters, Marzano
& McNulty, 2003). This suggests that school leadership is important in building teachers’
learning capacity that may support a culture of acceptance and willingness to use SEL practices
and approaches. The recommendation is for school leaders to develop ongoing professional
development for teachers on building their SEL learning capacity in the five competency skills.
Furthermore, building teachers’ capacity by prioritizing in-service and outside vendor training
will increase SEL practices school-wide. As school leaders and teachers increase their learning
capacity, they increase their accountability to student learning outcomes. According to
Hentschke and Wohlstetter (2004), this relational accountability promotes organizational
improvement.
The cultural model that influences SEL implementation is the teachers’ acceptance and
willingness to use these practices and approaches to meet students’ needs. An organizational
model should create a school environment of trust for teachers to fully implement these
practices. The external and internal situations teachers experience are recognized differently
based on the trust teachers place on organizational influences (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).
Teachers’ support for SEL approaches is based on confidence and reliability in the organization.
School and District leaders set the cultural tone of acceptance and willingness. Norris (2003)

82
noted that trust is having confidence in the reliability of what the organization provides, and this
is essential for individuals’ participation.
Resources and support to implement SEL practices. The study found that most
participants believe the organization provides resources and support to implement SEL practices.
Organizational change theory, according to Clark and Estes (2008), suggests that effective
change efforts ensure that everyone has the resources (equipment, personnel, time, etc.) needed
to do their job, and that, if there are resource shortages, then resources should align with
organizational priorities. In cultural settings, providing appropriate resources to meet goals has a
high priority. A recommendation is for the organization to prioritize sources of funding for
professional development on SEL strategies and practices. For example, school and district
leaders can have in-service training, district-wide training, or provide funding for substitute
coverage for teachers to attend conferences and workshops. This recommendation aligns with
prior research finding that organizations that provide resources and support move towards
achieving the organizational goals (Durlak et al., 2011; Payton et al., 2008).
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
This implementation and evaluation plan utilized the New World Kirkpatrick Model
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The model proposes that evaluation plans start with the goals
of the organization and work in reverse so that leading indicators that link the recommended
solutions to the organization’s goals are clearly identified (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Starting with the outcomes, Level 4 (Results), pertains to the degree to which individuals reach
the clearly defined results and key leading indicators (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Level 3
(Behavior) involves identifying the critical behaviors and essential drivers to apply new learning

83
on the job. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) asserted this level is the most important because
training alone will not produce positive results. In Level 2 (Learning), organizations determine
the degree of individuals’ knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment obtained
from the training. In Level 1 (Reaction), individuals’ reactions are assessed in terms of
agreeability, engagement, and relevance (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Accordingly, the
four levels collectively provide an implementation and evaluation structure to the
recommendations addressing the identified gaps in this study.
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
The mission of the District is to develop empowered students to be college- and career-
ready by ensuring academic achievement and social emotional growth (Strategic Plan, 2016).
Fundamental in this mission is the goal of providing safe learning environments that foster
success through emotional safety to build positive relationships and school connectedness
(Strategic Plan, 2016). To create this learning environment, this study examined how teachers
mitigate students’ behavioral challenges by teaching SEL competency skills. The plan calls for
implementing SEL practices and approaches using a structured curriculum such as Second Step,
Restorative Justice, and Stanford Harmony to increase students’ SEL competency skills.
Teachers were chosen as the group to reinforce the District’s mission and goals by
explicitly teaching them how to acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills
necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show
empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible
decisions. The expectations for desired outcomes from the recommendations are increasing
teachers’ knowledge of SEL practices and creating a culture of support and resources. Given
these points, the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) affords a

84
framework for the KMO gaps in the implementation and evaluation of the proposed
recommendations.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 12 shows the proposed Level 4 results and leading indicators in the form of
outcomes, metrics, and methods for both external and internal outcomes for PES teachers. If the
internal outcomes are met as expected, then the external outcomes should also be realized.
Table 12
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
Reduce parent complaints
related to lack of SEL.
Number of students transferring to
another school.
PES will collect data using a parent
complaint form or cause of transfer
related to SEL (e.g., competency,
teacher approaches/practices).
Parent perception of school
safety.
Number of parent feedback
and complaints.
District’s Annual School
Experience Survey
Parent perception of fairness
of discipline.
Percent of parent feedback and
complaints.
District’s Annual School
Experience Survey
Student perception of SEL. Number of student feedback and
complaints.
District’s Annual School
Experience Survey
Internal Outcomes
Reduce loss of instructional
time due to behavior.
Number of behavior referrals
submitted to office administrators.
Administrators will track office
referrals for each teacher.

Informal walkthroughs.
Ensure that teachers have
models to observe
implementing SEL
practices.
Number of observations teachers
engage in with peers or mentors.
Data from teacher/peer debrief
after each observation.
Increase teacher satisfaction
of SEL practices.
Percent of teachers with
satisfaction survey results.
Administrator will survey teacher
satisfaction semesterly.
Ensure teachers are engaged
in differentiated professional
learning experiences.
Number of different types of
professional learning.
Solicit information about District,
vendor, or in-service professional
learning opportunities.

Provide teacher coverage to attend
professional learning.

85
Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. The stakeholders of focus were the teachers at PES. The critical
behaviors that will most affect the Level 4 results are the bridge to ensuring the organization’s
outcomes (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). These need to be specific, observable, and
measurable to move teachers towards the stakeholder goal. The first critical behavior calls for
teachers to create one SEL lesson to be taught during the week. This action supports teachers’
behavior to ensure the reliability of their learning at professional development. The second
critical behavior is for teachers to observe mentor teachers as they implement SEL practices. The
third critical behavior is participation in professional learning communities to share resources,
explore approaches, engage in dialogue, assess strategies, and reflect on collective efficacy.
Table 13 below outlines each critical behavior, the metric, method, and timing.
Table 13
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Teachers create SEL
lesson plans
incorporating the five
competency skills.
Number of teachers who
have completed lesson
plans shared with grade-
level teachers weekly.
Lessons submitted to
principal.
Weekly
2. Teachers observe
teachers implementing
SEL practices.
The number of
observations attended.
Data collected during
observations.
Monthly
3. Teachers participate
in professional learning
communities where they
share resources, explore
SEL approaches, engage
in dialogue, assess SEL
strategies, and reflect on
collective efficacy.
The number of professional
learning community
meetings attended.
Grade-level chairperson
will facilitate meeting
and provide meeting
notes.
Monthly

Required drivers. On-the-job engagement in the critical behaviors outlined above must
be supported with essential drivers: the processes and systems that reinforce, encourage, reward,

86
and monitor progress toward desired results (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick 2016). Table 14 lists
drivers that emphasize the transfer of their new skills into teachers’ daily work. First, the
reinforcing drivers provide teachers with step-by-step job-aid training, reminders of additional
training and SEL networks, and provide peer collaboration with mentor teachers. Methods to
encourage teachers are to provide them feedback from peers to support opportunities for practice.
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) pointed out that recognition of performance may be
appreciated more than tangible rewards. Thus, recognizing increased performance and students’
success stories showcase a culture of acceptance and willingness to implement SEL practices.
Finally, monitoring structures include observations by administrators, monthly progress reviews,
and ongoing check-ins about teachers’ self-efficacy.
Table 14
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Job Aid for teachers that
provides step-by-step SEL
strategies allowing for
practice and feedback.
Ongoing 3
Administrator emails teachers
to remind teachers to teach a
SEL lesson weekly.
Weekly 1
Meetings with peer teachers
to discuss SEL strategies
observed and processes
related to effectiveness
Monthly 1, 2, 3
Administrator’s provided
emails to teachers about SEL
resources, additional training
and communities of practice
Weekly 1, 2, 3
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Encouraging

87
Teachers meet together to
discuss success in
implementing SEL practices
Monthly 1, 2, 3
School newsletter highlights
student social emotional
development and
achievements
Monthly 1, 2, 3
Rewarding
Administrators privately and
publicly acknowledge
increased SEL practices and
individual student success
stories
Ongoing 1, 2, 3
Monitoring
Administrators informally
observe teachers’
implementation of SEL
strategies
Ongoing 1, 2, 3
Leadership team regularly
reviews of SEL practice
implementation
Monthly 1, 2, 3
Administrators conduct
check-ins with teachers to
gauge teachers’ confidence in
implementing SEL practices
Ongoing 1, 2, 3

Organizational support. The critical behaviors and required drivers will require
organizational supports and accountability measures to achieve the intended outcomes
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The organizational influence recommendations that will
support and ensure the accountability of the drivers mentioned in Table 14 align with the
assumed organization influences. First, the cultural model of acceptance and willingness to use
SEL practices and approaches requires administrators’ commitment, ongoing processes, and
communication. Second, the cultural settings call for the administrators to provide supports and
resources for implementing SEL practices.
Furthermore, the cultural models of acceptance and willingness require administrators to
provide job-aids for practice, feedback, and communication. The cultural settings required are

88
resources and supports like teacher meetings with peers to discuss successful practice as well as
observations of peer teachers. Additionally, successful implementation of these drivers will
require monetary resources such as those needed to pay for substitutes so that teachers can
observe and meet with other teachers.
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Certain learning goals are needed to support engagement in the critical
behaviors listed in Table 13. Following the application of the recommended solutions, teachers
will be able to
1. Apply the five SEL competency skills (K-Factual)
2. Interpret the five SEL competency skills by clarifying the behavioral abilities of each
competency skill (K-conceptual)
3. Implement the five SEL competency skills (K-procedural)
4. Execute the practice and feedback by carrying out newly learned SEL strategies (K-
procedural)
5. Create data collection protocols such as survey questions, interview questions, mentor
teacher behaviors to focus on during observations (K-procedural)
6. Peer collaborative discussions strategies and processes related to effectiveness of SEL
implementation (K-metacognition)
7. Monitor understanding of strengths and weaknesses (K-metacognition)
8. Recognize the importance of SEL practices (M-utility value)
9. Convey confidence in their ability to implement SEL practices (M-self-efficacy)
Program. The essential learning goals will be met by teacher training on the knowledge
and motivation gaps identified in this study. To develop teacher knowledge and skills, both

89
factual and procedural training will allow them to engage in discussions, feedback, and reflection
with their peers. Specifically, training that uses auditory and visual models, such as videos of
teachers implementing SEL practices, will give teachers additional models to guide their
development. Concurrent with training, teachers will collaborate with master teachers to observe
utilization of SEL competency skills. Observations followed by collaborative discussions about
strategies observed will give teachers a deeper understanding of needs for further development.
Additionally, it is vital that training is ongoing throughout the school year to ensure that
teachers continue to apply their new knowledge and skills, thus increasing their motivation.
Particularly important is ongoing support from administrators in the form of training, time for
teachers to collaborate, and building a school culture of acceptance and willingness to use SEL
practices and approaches.
Evaluation of the components of learning. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) depict
Level 2 as that in which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence,
and commitment from training. Table 15 describes the evaluation of each of the components of
learning along with the methods and timing.
Table 15
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Knowledge checks through discussions with
peers.
During and after
Knowledge checks during training. During training.
Use of reflective questions about learning during
training to gauge understanding.
During training.

90
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Quality of the feedback from peers during
collaborative group sharing.
During weekly meetings.
Observe application of skills learned. During training and ongoing on the job.
Demonstrate accuracy during SEL training using
classroom scenario exercises
During SEL training
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Discussions of the value of using SEL strategies
in their classrooms.
During and after training
Survey items using scaled items. Following each training
Demonstration of ability to implement SEL
practices.
After training
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Survey items using scaled items During and after training
Discussions following practice and feedback. During and after training
Reflection on confidence to implement in the
classroom.
Ongoing during monthly meetings with
peers
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Create an individual action plan. During the training and after with peer
mentors
One-on-one discussions about observation
feedback.
Ongoing

Level 1: Reaction
Measuring PES teachers’ reactions to the SEL training provided is vital. In Level 1,
organizations examine whether the participants found the training favorable, engaging, and
relevant to their jobs (Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick, 2016). Table 16 identifies the components to
measure teachers’ reactions to the training program.

91
Table 16
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Observation of participant interaction and
responses
During training.
Interviews of participants for impressions. During and after
Attendance During
Relevance
Brief pulse check with participants via
discussion (ongoing)
During and after
Anonymous evaluations completed by
participants
Immediately after training
Customer Satisfaction
Brief pulse check with participants via
discussion (ongoing)
During and after
Facilitator observation During

Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. At the end of each training
session, a survey will be administered to gauge the effectiveness of Levels 1 and 2. The survey
will ask about participants’ satisfaction, attitude, commitment, relevance, and level of confidence
in their ability to apply the new learning. With respect to Level 1, the survey results will reveal
how the session resonated with PES teachers. Regarding Level 2, the survey will expose the
impact the session had on teachers’ knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment to
implement SEL practices. Gauging the learner’s knowledge of using this method is effective
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The evaluation instrument presented in Appendix B will be
used following the training to support SEL implementation.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. Immediately after training,
Level 1 and 2 evaluations are most effective in assessing participants’ reactions (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016). The school will administer the survey immediately after SEL training to

92
assess teachers’ understanding and engagement in the training. The survey response options are
“disagree,” “neutral,” and “agree.” Level 1 evaluation is meant to capture teachers’ perceptions
of the training regarding whether it was favorable, engaging, and relevant to their jobs. The aim
is to capture teachers’ attitudes, knowledge, skills, confidence, commitment, and value in
applying SEL practices. Level 3 captures teacher SEL approaches, assess SEL strategies, and
reflect on collective efficacy. Level 4 provides a leading indicator of the overall implementation.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Ongoing data analysis and reporting provide an opportunity to change direction to
increase SEL outcomes. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) maintain that data analysis and
reporting are ongoing processes. Furthermore, Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick recommend asking
(a) Does the program meet expectations? (b) If not, why not? and (c) If so, why? To ensure
ongoing program outcome progression, analysis and reporting will occur after each survey
following training.
Fidelity in the implementation of SEL practices will be measured using the four levels
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). School leaders will monitor teachers’ development and
implementation of SEL by checking in and conducting classroom observations. Figure 2 shows
the recommendations based on all four levels of Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2016) New
World Model. Figure 2 identifies the New World Kirkpatrick grid and levels for PES teachers to
teach students the SEL competency skills.

93

Figure 2. New World Kirkpatrick grid and levels for PES teachers to implement the SEL
competency skills

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Approach
Together, the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework and the New World
Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) provided a comprehensive framework for
efficaciously organizing, identifying, and validating the influence gaps in this study. Both
frameworks allowed for congruence between the findings and the proposed recommendations.
Additionally, the frameworks facilitated the qualitative approach to the research and a
comprehensive approach to how organizations plan and support change.
The study examined the KMO factors needed for teachers to implement SEL instruction
to improve student academic outcomes. The KMO framework helped to address the first research

94
question regarding the commitments needed for teachers to implement SEL. However, the
findings did not conclusively measure the impact on students’ academic outcomes. Rather, the
framework allowed for a macro view of what KMO factors are required and not for correlating
SEL and student academic outcomes. Consequently, this study provided insight into how school
districts and school leaders might explore the effects of SEL on specific student outcomes.
Another area of weakness in the study was a focus on a singular stakeholder approach, that only
included the teachers at PES. This singular stakeholder offered a partial perspective that did not
include the perspectives of District and school leadership, or students that may offer contrasting
viewpoints and evidence, resulting in affirming or conflicting the findings.
Limitations and Delimitations
Various limitations were identified in this study. The purpose of this study was to
examine the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influence affecting teacher
implementation of SEL practices at PES. First, the small sample size prevents broad
generalization of the findings, as does the fact that the study was conducted at only one school.
Additionally, triangulation would have provided a more in-depth analysis of the problem of
practice because multiple sources of data or data collection methods affirm the findings
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Additionally, this small sample included a singular stakeholder focus
group that provided a narrow perspective on the problem of practice. The selection of teachers
was relevant to understanding the issues associated with SEL implementation from the teacher’s
perspective and gain insight into the organizational obstacles impacting meeting the stakeholder
goal.
Another limitation was that data were collected during teacher-parent conference week.
As such, teachers were interviewed between their conferences, resulting in increased stress levels

95
and fatigue for them. A final limitation pertains to the attributes and characteristics of the
participants. Specifically, the findings reveal that this group of teachers applied SEL strategies
they had developed from their experiences and what they felt was appropriate and comfortable to
use with their students to mitigate student behavioral problems instead of focusing on developing
student SEL competency skills. Their forthrightness and their views shaped the findings. The
aforementioned limitations are considerations for future research and the KMO influences on the
organization.
Whereas, the delimitations of the study included the targeted stakeholder group that
included only teachers trained in social emotional learning. This study did not include teachers
lacking SEL training although the degree of training varied for only one of the participants.
Lastly, the researcher, despite having the role of observer, may have been regarded as a comrade
due to having previously worked at PES. Feelings concerning insider or outsider beliefs among
participants impact the challenges associated in research study (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016). The
previous professional relationship between the researcher and the teacher participants sharing a
history of collaboration resulted in an asset to the study. This delimitation was advantageous
since seven of eight (87%) teachers invited participated in the study.
Future Research
Recommendations for future research surfaced from the limitations and delimitations of
this study. The first recommendation is to broaden the focus group to include teachers from
multiple schools with similar demographics. This will expand the generalizability of findings to
validate the assumed KMO influences at different schools. Broadening the focus to multiple
schools will allow for the inclusion of additional data collection instruments. Also,
methodologies such as a quantitative or mixed-methods approach will generate a more in-depth

96
understanding of KMO influences pertaining to SEL and academic achievement. For example, a
quantitative approach can examine student performance data such as high-stake assessment and
student grades at schools that implement SEL programs to see if there is a significant correlation.
Furthermore, broadening the study to include additional stakeholders that includes administrators
in the organization, and students should be considered to verify the assumed influences of the
study. As this small focus group of stakeholders included only teachers, the addition of
stakeholders will include a broader perspective on the implementation of social emotional
learning. It is also recommended that further research includes an examination on the impact of
SEL on students and student application to measure if students have successfully acquired the
competency skills and have transferred this new learning to their academic environments as well
as their daily personal lives.
Conclusion
This study examined the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences impacting
teacher SEL implementation. The aspiration of this study focused on rendering a trajectory for
achieving the District’s organizational goal of providing school safety by ensuring safe learning
environments that foster success through emotional safety that builds positive relationships and
school connectedness. Providing SEL to K-12 students has a positive impact on student well-
being and provides a safe learning environment for students to increase their academic
performance. This study explored the KMO influences on teachers regarding the goal of
providing SEL instruction. As the research notes the importance of SEL instruction, districts
across the nation have increased teacher training on SEL practices and approaches. The focus of
SEL instruction for school districts and schools using evidenced-based SEL curricular programs
should include alongside the explicit instruction of the five SEL competency of self-awareness,

97
self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness that
affect lifelong skills for success. These skills help to build a student’s character and self-
actualization, and they are fundamental tools for citizens in a democratic society (Elias, 2009).
This qualitative study sought to answer the research questions through its methodology,
data analysis, and recommendations. The Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework served
as the structure for the literature review focusing on the five competency skills, integration of
strategies, and reflection of teacher effectiveness. Additionally, utility value, self-efficacy,
acceptance, support, and resources identified the gaps for SEL implementation. Furthermore, the
influence of self-efficacy related to the level of training and support received assisted in
increasing teacher SEL value and establish an organizational culture of acceptance and
awareness. The support and resources provided by the District and school leaders were in
alignment with the organizational goal of providing emotional safety to increase student
academic performance. This study can provide a guide to the KMO influences needed to
implement SEL instruction. Through SEL instruction, K-12 educators ensure that students
acquire the knowledge, competency skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage
emotions and achieve personal and collective goals. As school districts across the nation grapple
with increased student trauma due to increased economic hardships, homelessness and the
unintended outcomes of a global pandemic, SEL instruction has become even more essential to
the emotional safety of students.

98
REFERENCES
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and
teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451-474
Anderman, E., & Anderman, L. (2006). Attributions. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/attribution-theory/
Ashdown, D., & Bernard, M. (2012). Can explicit instruction in social and emotional learning
skills benefit the social-emotional development, well-being, and academic achievement
of young children? Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(6), 397–405.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-011-0481-x
The Aspen Institute and the National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic
Development. (2019, January 11). The Evidence Base for How We Learn. Washington,
DC: The Aspen Institute.
Baker, L. (2006). Metacognition. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/metacongnition/
Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 9, 75–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00064
Boston, M., & Wilhelm, A. (2017). Middle school mathematics instruction in instructionally
focused urban districts. Urban Education, 52(7), 829–861.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085915574528
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing
Protective Factors Among Youth. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; 2009.

99
Clark, R., & Estes, F. (2008). Turning research into results: A guide to selecting the right
performance solutions. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2018). CASEL core
SEL competencies. Retrieved from http://www.casel.org/core-competencies/
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory.
Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Corcoran, R., Cheung, A., Kim, E., & Xie, C. (2018). Effective universal school-based social and
emotional learning programs for improving academic achievement: A systematic review
and meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Educational Research Review, 25, 56–72.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.12.001
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Cristóvão, A., Candeias, A., Verdasca, J., & Cristóvão, A. (2017). Social and emotional learning
and academic achievement in Portuguese schools: A bibliometric study. Frontiers in
Psychology, 8, 1913. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01913
Denler, H., Wolters, C., & Benzon, M. (2009). Social cognitive theory. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-cognitive -theory/
Dhaem, J. (2012). Responding To minor misbehavior through verbal and nonverbal responses.
Beyond Behavior, 21(3), 29–34.
District. (2016). Strategic plan: A District on the move: Destination graduation 2016-2019.
Retrieved from https://achieve.District.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?module
instanceid=754&dataid=591&FileName=District_Strategic%20Plan16-17_vr19F.pdf

100
Dodge, K. A., Bierman, K. L., Coie, J. D., Greenberg, M. T., Lochman, J. E., McMahon, R. J., . .
., & the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2015). Impact of early
intervention on psychopathology, crime, and well-being at age 25. The American Journal
of Psychiatry, 172(1), 59–70.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The
impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-
based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.
Eccles, J. (2006). Expectancy value motivational theory. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/expectancy-value-motivational-theory/
Elias, M. (2009). Social emotional and character development and academics as a dual focus of
educational policy. Educational Policy, 23(6), 831–846.
Elias, M. J., & Arnold, H. (2006). The educator’s guide to emotional intelligence and academic
achievement: Social emotional learning in the classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Emdin, C. (2016). For white folks who teach in the hood and the rest of y’all too: Reality
pedagogy and urban education. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Engle, P., & Black, M. (2008). The effect of poverty on child development and educational
outcomes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136(1), 243–256.
https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1425.023
Gable, R., Hendrickson, J., Tonelson, S., & Van Acker, R. (2002). Integrating academic and non-
academic instruction for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Education &
Treatment of Children, 25(4), 459–475.

101
Gallimore, R., & Goldenberg, C. (2001). Analyzing cultural models and settings to connect
minority achievement and school improvement research. Educational Psychologist,
36(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3601_5
Glesne, C. (2011). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (4th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson.
Greenberg, M., Domitrovich, C., Weissberg, R., & Durlak, J. (2017). Social and emotional
learning as a public health approach to education. The Future of Children, 27(1), 13–32.
Gregory, A., & Fergus, E. (2017). Social and emotional learning and equity in school discipline.
The Future of Children, 27(1), 117–136.
Harding, J. (2013). Using codes to analyze an illustrative issue. Qualitative data analysis from
start to finish. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Himmelstein, D. (2019). Focus on healing, not punishment: A shift in school policies results in
fewer suspensions and higher graduation rates. School Library Journal, 65(3), 32.
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2013). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative,
and mixed approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Jones, S., Brown, J., Hoglund, W., Aber, J., & Jones, S. (2010). A school-randomized clinical
trial of an integrated social-emotional learning and literacy intervention: Impacts after
one school year. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(6), 829–842.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021383
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2016). Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation.
Association for Talent Development.
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice,
41, 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2

102
Kulinna, P. (2007). Teachers’ attributions and strategies for student misbehavior. Journal of
Classroom Interaction, 42(2), 21–30.
Lapointe, J. (2003). Teacher-student conflict and misbehavior: Toward a model of the extended
symmetrical escalation. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 38(2), 11–19.
Lauman, J.M. (2011). Why do learning communities develop in some elementary schools and not
in others? A study of selected elementary schools in Greater Vancouver British Columbia
(Doctoral dissertation: Education: Faculty of Education).
Lewis, L. K. (2011). Organizational change: Creating change through strategic communication
(Vol. 4). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Low, S., Cook, C., Smolkowski, K., & Buntain-Ricklefs, J. (2015). Promoting social–emotional
competence: An evaluation of the elementary version of Second Step®. Journal of
School Psychology, 53(6), 463–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2015.09.002
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Mayer, R. E. (2011). Applying the science of learning. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Mega, C., Ronconi, L., & De Beni, R. (2014). What makes a good student? How emotions, self-
regulated learning, and motivation contribute to academic achievement. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 106(1), 121–131.
Merriam, S., & Tisdell, E. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation
(4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Norris, J. (2003). Looking at classroom management through a social and emotional learning
lens. Theory into Practice, 42(4), 313–318. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4204_8

103
Orr, A. (2003). Black-White differences in achievement: The importance of wealth. Sociology of
Education, 76(4), 281–304. https://doi.org/10.2307/1519867
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research,
66(4), 543–578. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066004543
Pajares, F. (2006). Self-efficacy theory. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/
article/self-efficacy-theory
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE.
Payton, J., Weissberg, R. P., Durlak, J. A., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., Schellinger, K. B., &
Pachan, M. (2008). The positive impact of social and emotional learning for kindergarten
to eighth-grade students: Findings from three scientific reviews. Chicago, IL:
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
Pintrich, P. R. (2003). A motivational science perspective on the role of student motivation in
learning and teaching contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 667–686.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.4.667
Portnow, S., Downer, J., & Brown, J. (2018). Reductions in aggressive behavior within the
context of a universal, social emotional learning program: Classroom- and student-level
mechanisms. Journal of School Psychology, 68, 38–52.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2017.12.004
Reicher, H., & Matischek-Jauk, M. (2017). Preventing depression in adolescence through social
and emotional learning. International Journal of Emotional Education, 9(2), 110-115.
Rimm‐Kaufman, S., & Chiu, Y. (2007). Promoting social and academic competence in the
classroom: An intervention study examining the contribution of the Responsive

104
Classroom approach. Psychology in the Schools, 44(4), 397–413.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20231
Rocco, T. S., & Plakhotnik, M. S. (2009). Literature reviews, conceptual frameworks, and
theoretical frameworks: Terms, functions, and distinctions. Human Resource
Development Review, 8(1), 120–130.
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Rueda, R. (2011). The 3 dimensions of improving student performance: Finding the right
solutions to the right problems. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Schraw, G., & McCrudden, M. (2006). Information processing theory. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/information-processingtheory/
Sznitman, S., Reisel, L., & Romer, D. (2011). The neglected role of adolescent emotional well-
being in national educational achievement: Bridging the gap between education and
mental health policies. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(2), 135–142.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.06.013
Tillery, A. D., Varjas, K., Roach, A. T., Kuperminc, G. P., & Meyers, J. (2013). The importance
of adult connections in adolescents' sense of school belonging: Implications for schools
and practitioners. Journal of School Violence, 12(2), 134-155.
Tuckman, B. (2006). Operant conditioning. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/operant-conditioning/
U.S. Department of Education, Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School
Climate and Discipline, Washington, D.C., 2014.

105
Waters, T., Marzano, R. J., & McNulty, B. (2003). Balanced leadership: What 30 years of
research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement. Aurora, CO: Mid-
continent Research for Education and Learning.
Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68–81.
https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015
Yough, M., & Anderman, E. (2006). Goal orientation theory. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/goal-orientation-theory/
Zins, J., Bloodworth, M., Weissberg, R., & Walberg, H. (2007). The scientific base linking social
and emotional learning to school success. Journal of Educational & Psychological
Consultation, 17(2-3), 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474410701413145
Zins, J., Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Wang, M., & Walberg, H. (2004). Building academic success on
social and emotional learning: What does research say? New York, NY: Teachers
College.

106
APPENDIX A
Interview Protocol
The following will be read to participants before beginning the interview:
The purpose of this study is to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences
that affect the implementation of social emotional learning for students’ academic success. Your
perspective is valuable and will allow me to better understand the role of social emotional
learning in the classroom.
Your participation in this study is voluntary and you have a right not to participate. Also,
you have a right to end the interview at any time or choose not to answer specific questions. The
confidentiality of this study will have no identifying information and your identity will remain
anonymous.

The first set of questions will ask you about how your school and district provide support
and resources to implement social emotional learning in your classroom.
Organization
1. Can you describe how your school promotes social emotional learning
practices?
2. What resources and/or training if any, has the leadership at this school or
district provided you that has helped you implement social emotional learning
practices?
3. What additional training and/or support do you need to effectively implement
social emotional learning practices in your classroom?

107
The next set of questions will ask you about the work that you do in your
classroom related to social emotional learning.
Knowledge
4. Can you describe or list the five social emotional learning competency skills?
5. How do you integrate social emotional strategies in your daily classroom
interaction with your students?
6. Can you explain if any of the SEL strategies include integrating the five
competencies skills of self-awareness, social awareness, self-management,
relational skills, and responsible decision making?
7. How do you, if at all, reflect on how you approach students’ social emotional
learning development in your daily interactions with students?
8. When you notice something is not going well with students’ social emotional
learning related to attitude or behavior what do you do?
The next set of questions will ask about your opinion and confidence implementing social
emotional learning practices.
Motivation
9. In your opinion, how important is it for you to teach competency skills to
support students’ social emotional learning?
10. How has social emotional learning, if at all, impacted your students’
performance outcomes?
11. How confident are you in implementing social emotional learning with
fidelity?

108
12. Does using an evidenced-based curriculum or program like Second Step or
Restorative Justice increase your confidence in effectively implementing
social emotional learning strategies?

109
APPENDIX B
Teacher Training Evaluation Instrument
For each of the following questions, indicate the response that best describes how you feel about
the statement by putting an X.

Disagree Neutral Agree
1. The training was engaging.
2. I found value in the training I received.
3. The training related to information to my job.
4. The environment helped me learn.
5. The training helped me implement SEL practices.
6. I learned SEL strategies.
7. I feel that it is important to integrate my new learning
into my teaching practice.

Abstract (if available)

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Social emotional learning curriculum implementation: an evaluation study of fidelity

PDF

Increasing parent involvement in social-emotional learning workshops in high school using the gap analysis approach

PDF

Leveraging social-emotional learning to improve school climate, mental health, and student achievement in K-12 student populations

PDF

Teachers' experiences implementing social and emotional learning in the elementary classroom

PDF

STEM teacher education: An evaluation study

PDF

Characteristics that create a quality early learning center: An evaluation study

PDF

Labor displacement: a gap analysis an evaluation study addressing professional development in a small business environment

PDF

Explicit instruction’s impact on the student achievement gap in K-12 English language learners

PDF

An evaluation study: quality contextual professional development

PDF

Teaching academic and behavioral skills through arts-based programming: an evaluation study

PDF

Factors impacting the effectiveness of mentor teachers in a national teacher residency

PDF

Child welfare turnover: an evaluation study of work-life balance practices

PDF

Increasing the number of minoritized teachers in the Apex public schools: an evaluation study

PDF

First-generation college students and persistence to a degree: an evaluation study

PDF

Narrowing the English learner achievement gap through teacher professional learning and cultural proficiency: an evaluation study

PDF

One to one tablet integration in the mathematics classroom: an evaluation study of an international school in China

PDF

How urban high school principals implement social and emotional learning (SEL)

PDF

Using restorative practice community-building activities to meet the social-emotional needs of students

PDF

Evaluating the implementation of 21st century skills and learning

PDF

Optimal applications of social and emotional learning paradigms for improvements in academic performance

Asset Metadata

Creator Hoyos, Yvonne Mariel (author)

Core Title The academic implications of providing social emotional learning in K-12: an evaluation study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 01/29/2021

Defense Date 12/02/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag OAI-PMH Harvest,SEL,social emotional learning

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Muraszewski, Alison (committee chair), Mora-Flores, Eugenia (committee member), Yates, Kenneth (committee member)

Creator Email yhoyos@usc.edu,yvonne.hoyos@lausd.net

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-418089

Unique identifier UC11673251

Identifier etd-HoyosYvonn-9251.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-418089 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-HoyosYvonn-9251.pdf

Dmrecord 418089

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Hoyos, Yvonne Mariel

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA