Action research report

Abstract

Students today are affected by several life difficulties and societal factors that impact their day-to-day functioning and academic success in school (Harlacher & Merrell, 2010). Social-emotional learning curriculum is the new tool used to address some of these issues. However, teachers who are the sole implementer of these curriculums have not always been asked to join in on the conversation about the effectiveness of social-emotional learning curriculum happening within their classroom. This action research study was designed to understand what impact a social-emotional learning curriculum has on a middle school pupil's academic and behavioral performance from the perspective of a teacher. This study will seek teacher perceptions of whether or not the implementation of a social-emotional curriculum within their classrooms will improve student academic and behavioral performance. This study was conducted on a 6th-grade cohort at School of the Future located in Brooklyn, New York. Qualitative data was collected in the form of interviews, classroom observations, focus groups, and surveys.--Author's abstract