Collaborative For Academic , Social , And Emotional Learning Research Articles

The CASEL Framework and Christian Schools: Using a Hermeneutical Tool to Determine Worldview Alignment

This article aims to utilize an adapted version of Trentham’s Inverse Consistency Protocol (ICP) as a way in which any ecclesial organization can act productively when confronted with seemingly controversial paradigms such as social emotional learning (SEL). The ICP can help Christian leaders discern potential areas of inconsistency or affirm authentic congruence with an organization’s faith tradition. Tenets from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) were submitted through the four-step protocol. Findings suggest that CASEL is a valuable framework when applied authentically and that ICP is a constructive tool for engaging in the social sciences with integrity.

Mechanisms of Action Promoting Social Emotional Learning in Sport and Recreation Program for Socially Vulnerable Youth

While sport and recreation programs have capacity to contribute to social emotional learning, there is a lack of clarity regarding how to achieve this. To address this void, we used constructivist grounded theory to identify the mechanisms of action promoting social emotional competencies captured by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model (i.e. self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) in sport and recreation program for socially vulnerable youth. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 12 youth participants and 13 practitioners. The findings show that the key mechanisms driving skill development include the adoption of new roles (leading to leadership opportunities, accountability, and exposure to diversity), interaction with caring program practitioners (providing feedback, mentorship, and trust-building), and the program’s context (offering a culture of safety, inclusivity, responsibility, and positivity). This study contributes to theory and practice on social emotional learning in sport and recreation programs.

Inclusion, Equality and Educational Justice: Enhancing Social-Emotional Learning through Children’s Literature in a Diverse and Segregated Society

Children’s literature is an essential channel for providing children with social-emotional skills. This is particularly so in diverse and segregated societies where the need for enhancing awareness and acceptance of the Other is acute. Based on the content and semiotic analysis of 25 titles included in the state program “March of Books,” the present study examines how, if at all, social-emotional skills are reflected in the Hebrew-language children’s literature in Israel. Since the selected titles reflect all skill categories determined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the findings indicate that these selected titles can support children’s social-emotional learning (SEL). Nevertheless, the selected titles lack focus on a specific category within each text. Moreover, in a manner typical of Jewish-Israeli education, the selected titles expose young readers to their specific cultures and others through translated literature that highlights gender, Jewish-ethnic, physical, and age equality. At the same time, the selected titles tend to marginalize the culture of the Arab minority. The article concludes that education programs seeking to promote SEL through children’s literature must balance all SEL categories, represent the learners’ social differences, expose the readers to other cultures, and inculcate pluralist values.

Effects of a Preventive Mental Health Curriculum Embedded Into a Scholarly Gaming Course on Adolescent Self-Esteem: Prospective Matched Pairs Experiment.

Positive self-esteem predicts happiness and well-being and serves as a protective factor for favorable mental health. Scholarly gaming within the school setting may serve as a channel to deliver a mental health curriculum designed to improve self-esteem. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a scholarly gaming curriculum with and without an embedded preventive mental health curriculum, Mental Health Moments (MHM), on adolescents' self-esteem. The scholarly gaming curriculum and MHM were developed by 3 educators and a school-based health intervention expert. The scholarly gaming curriculum aligned with academic guidelines from the International Society for Technology Education, teaching technology-based career skills and video game business development. The curriculum consisted of 40 lessons, delivered over 14 weeks for a minimum of 120 minutes per week. A total of 83 schools with previous gaming engagement were invited to participate and 34 agreed. Schools were allocated to +MHM or -MHM arms through a matched pairs experimental design. The -MHM group received the scholarly gaming curriculum alone, whereas the +MHM group received the scholarly gaming curriculum plus MHM embedded into 27 lessons. MHM integrated concepts from the PERMA framework in positive psychology as well as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) standards in education, which emphasize self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Participants in the study were students at schools offering scholarly gaming curricula and were enrolled at recruitment sites. Participants completed a baseline and postintervention survey quantifying self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (score range 0-30). A score <15 characterizes low self-esteem. Participants who completed both baseline and postintervention surveys were included in the analysis. Of the 471 participants included in the analysis, 235 received the -MHM intervention, and 236 received the +MHM intervention. Around 74.9% (n=353) of participants were in high school, and most (n=429, 91.1%) reported this was their first year participating in scholarly gaming. Most participants were male (n=387, 82.2%). Only 58% (n=273) reported their race as White. The average self-esteem score at baseline was 17.9 (SD 5.1). Low self-esteem was reported in 22.1% (n=104) of participants. About 57.7% (n=60) of participants with low self-esteem at baseline rated themselves within the average level of self-esteem post intervention. When looking at the two groups, self-esteem scores improved by 8.3% among the +MHM group compared to no change among the -MHM group (P=.002). Subgroup analyses revealed that improvements in self-esteem attributed to the +MHM intervention differed by race, gender, and sexual orientation. Adolescents enrolled in a scholarly gaming curriculum with +MHM had improved self-esteem, shifting some participants from abnormally low self-esteem scores into normal ranges. Adolescent advocates, including health care providers, need to be aware of nontraditional educational instruction to improve students' well-being.

Informal Social-Emotional Learning in Gaming Affinity Spaces: Evidence From a Reddit Discussion Thread on Elden Ring

Background Over the past few years, there has been extensive discussion and research on social-emotional learning (SEL) in formal educational settings. However, there is limited research on SEL in informal learning contexts, including online sites such as gaming affinity spaces. Aim This qualitative study aimed to investigate the social-emotional competencies demonstrated by players in a Reddit discussion board focused on Elden Ring, a video game known for its challenging difficulty. Methods The study utilized theoretical qualitative thematic analysis on a focal thread at r/Eldenring. The thread had been upvoted over 18,000 times, included 2,363 comments encompassing 116,911 words, and had 997,765 readers when we extracted it for data analysis. Inductive codes were identified and grouped under preconceived themes based on the conceptual framework of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which comprises five components: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Findings The analysis revealed promising social-emotional competencies demonstrated by players across all five components of the CASEL framework. Players exhibited self-awareness by reflecting on their emotions and self-management by regulating their frustration and persevering through challenges. Social awareness was displayed by showing empathy and encouragement towards others, relationship skills by offering support and advice to fellow players, and responsible decision-making by analyzing situations, solving problems, and reflecting on gameplay experiences. Conclusion This study highlights the potential for informal SEL in gaming affinity spaces, as evidenced by players exhibiting social-emotional competencies during a Reddit discussion thread on Elden Ring. Future research should examine, among other aspects, the learning processes that facilitate the acquisition of social-emotional competencies in gaming affinity spaces and other informal learning environments, both online and offline. Additionally, special attention should be paid to the unique features of online platforms (like Reddit’s upvoting/downvoting) and their influence on users’ interactions and SEL.

How an integrated arts program facilitated social and emotional learning

ABSTRACT This article uses qualitative data in the form of 13 staff interviews, as well as detailed observation notes from 18 classroom lessons, to explore the process through which an integrated arts program facilitated social and emotional learning (SEL) in young children with social cognition challenges. Students ages five through eight years old received weekly arts instruction over the course of one academic semester as part of their social studies curriculum. SEL was infused throughout. As part of a larger study that documented improvements in students’ SEL awareness and skill levels, the present article seeks to identify how instructors used integrated arts instruction and activities to promote student outcomes. Using thematic analysis of interview transcripts and classroom observation notes, authors identified key strategies employed by instructors during arts activities to support development of the five key SEL domains identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): (1) self-awareness, (2) self-management, (3) social awareness, (4) relationship skills, and (5) responsible decision making.

The Development and Innovation of Social-Emotional Learning in China

In todays society, implementing social-e motional learning (SEL) is an important way to promote childrens all-round development fromthesmallsense, and the key to building global citizenship fromthelargesense. With the concept of social-emotional learning being proposed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and SEL was putting on the global policy agenda by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), many countries have begun to explore and carry out relevant practices according to their actual conditions. This study takes the practice of MOE-UNICEF SEL Programme Team in China as an example to analyse how the policies and practices related to social-emotion learning were diffused and innovated in China. Onthisbasis, some preliminary suggestions on policy formation, theoretical framework, areas requiring special attention, programme implementation and evaluation can be put forward, which are hoped to provide a little reference for the better promotion of SEL.

“Connecting to themselves and the world”: Engaging young children in read-alouds with social-emotional learning

As educators, we anticipated the social-emotional learning (SEL) of the children from the neighboring community would be greatly impacted due to the lack of social interaction necessary for human development during COVID. As literacy experts, we thought we could support these children through read-alouds focused on SEL. Our goal was to provide children the opportunity to participate in read-alouds of multicultural texts that incorporated SEL content and measured changes in their SEL development and vocabulary. We utilized the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework, which categorizes SEL into five competencies or domains, and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy to guide our research. We used a convergent parallel mixedmethod design in this pilot study in which 20 children from a community afterschool center and three adult volunteers participated. We found no statistical significance between administrations in children’s SEL as measured by the SEL web-based assessment, yet there was a statistically significant difference in SEL vocabulary scores between administrations. Supporting vocabulary scores, we identified four major themes: instructional practices, development of social-emotional learning, volunteers’ personal highlights, and challenges. This study has the potential to impact curriculum used in school and afterschool programs and could possibly make a positive impact on both socialemotional growth and vocabulary.

A Rose by any Other Name? Using Core Components to Categorize Social and Emotional Learning Provision

Although social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits children and youth worldwide, classifying a program as SEL is insufficient to capture its variability of content. There is currently little to aid in identifying specific program content so that foci may be identified (e.g., self-management skills vs. social skills). This gap poses a difficulty for researchers attempting to address heterogeneity in SEL research and practitioners who want to select programs best suited for their contexts. This paper begins to address these concerns by extracting and contrasting ‘core components’ of interventions within an identified shortlist of 13 universal, elementary evidence-based programs through a distillation method using the often cited ‘five core competency’ model from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning). Results showed that CASEL’s core competencies are represented across short-listed programs. However, almost all programs had identifiable foci, targeting a subset of skills. Accordingly, the use of ‘core components’ is recommended as a method for offering more nuance in SEL classification for programs beyond the current study, with implications for program implementation and the design of future research in SEL evaluation.

Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL): The Experiences of Teenagers Participating in Volunteer Club Activities in the Community.

Beginning with social inequities in terms of access to quality, inclusive education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially rural teenagers who leave school early, the Holtis Association, with the support of the UNICEF Representative in Romania, developed a number of interventions intended to facilitate the transition from lower to higher secondary education of students from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. One of the interventions was the establishment of teenagers' clubs for volunteer activities, leadership development, and participation in the community to encourage social and emotional learning. (1) Background: This study aims to investigate the extent to which participation in the Holtis club projects contributed to the development of transformative social and emotional learning (T-SEL), as observed from the perspective of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies among adolescents. (2) Methods: The study was qualitative and used focus groups for data collection. Out of the 65 active clubs, 18 were selected, and their representatives participated in the focus groups. (3) Results: Participating in the club activities, which were organized in the school, with the aim of organizing activities outside the school space stimulated and developed T-SEL competencies among adolescents. (4) Conclusions: The data, which were collected through the voices of teenagers, underlined the personal transformation from the perspective of the CASEL model competencies of SEL, and the study privileged their perspectives.

A District-Wide Implementation of Social Emotional Learning During a Pandemic

Social emotional learning (SEL) has shown significant positive effect on self-management and self-awareness; however, teachers have been skeptical of implementation due to the amount of extra time and resources. This article presents a case study of how a school district implemented SEL using the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework through a trauma-informed lens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A District-Wide Implementation of Social Emotional Learning During a Pandemic

Social emotional learning (SEL) has shown significant positive effect on self-management and self-awareness; however, teachers have been skeptical of implementation due to the amount of extra time and resources. This article presents a case study of how a school district implemented SEL using the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework through a trauma-informed lens during the COVID-19 pandemic. &#x0D;

Going Beyond Traits: Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills Matter for Adolescents’ Success

The present research addresses three key questions about social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills. First, how do SEB skills relate with the Big Five traits and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) core competencies? Second, how do SEB skills relate with consequential outcomes in adolescence? Third, do SEB skills provide incremental validity beyond personality traits? Results from a diverse sample of high school students (N = 897) indicate that SEB skills converge with the Big Five traits and CASEL competencies in expected and conceptually meaningful ways. Analyses of self-reported and school-reported outcomes extend SEB skills’ nomological network by showing that they predict academic achievement and engagement, occupational interests, social relationships, civic engagement, and well-being. Finally, tests of incremental validity indicate that SEB skills provide unique information beyond personality traits and that this information matters for predicting outcomes during adolescence. These findings advance our understanding of the nature, correlates, and consequences of SEB skills.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN CLASSROOM FOR PRESCHOOLERS: TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE

Effective implementation of social and emotional learning in the classroom for preschoolers was getting more attention, thus, there were various implementation methods and recommendations. This study explored effective social and emotional learning implementation from teachers’ perspectives. This single case qualitative research adopted the instrumentation of a semi-structured interview with seven open-ended questions. This study involved the participation of four preschool teachers from a private preschool in Setia Alam, Selangor. Social and Emotional Learning implementations in this study followed the recommendations from Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and the Five guiding principles on social and emotional learning by McGraw Hill Education. The findings from this study emphasized two main themes of teachers’ awareness and children’s outcomes. The first theme described teachers’ ability and skills in observing and evaluating children’s development levels and needs that could later impact their classroom management. The second theme of children’s outcome described the benefits of effective social and emotional learning implementations towards preschool children’s development from teachers’ perspectives. The findings also emphasized the importance of teachers’ knowledge and skills towards the implementation of effective social and emotional learning in the classroom. Thus, it could be concluded that effective social and emotional learning implementation could be achieved through a conducive learning environment, that includes active engagement and activities that could support children’s social and emotional development.

A How-To for Pairing Standard 1 NHES-Infused Performance Indicators With NHES Skills and CASEL Competencies: Planning for the Skills-Based Health/SEL Education Classroom

The purpose of this article is to provide the practicing teacher with a planning tool that helps infuse National Health Education Standard (NHES) 1 with NHES 2–8 and social–emotional learning competencies and sub-competencies in their lessons and units. Because the focus on the social and emotional learning of students is in high demand given the stresses that currently plague society, it is important that teachers have the tools to incorporate the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies and the NHES into their daily lessons and units. This article provides the teacher with instruction on how to infuse health education content into the health education skills and align social and emotional learning. The article expands the recently published CASEL and NHES Crosswalk to dig deeper into the infusion of Standard 1 of the NHES. The authors provide concrete steps and examples to show teachers practical ways for incorporating health education content, skill standards, and social and emotional learning.

The Hidden Neoliberalism of CASEL's Social Emotional Learning Framework: Concerns for Equity

Abstract Social emotional learning (SEL) initiatives play an increasingly important role in American prekindergarten through 12th-grade education. Given the focus on equity by both SEL leaders and the music education community, it is important to examine how SEL initiatives might promote or inhibit equity. The purpose of this philosophical inquiry is to consider the relationship between the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL Framework and equity through the lens of neoliberalism. After examining how neoliberal practices contribute to economic and social inequities, I demonstrate three areas of alignment between CASEL's SEL Framework and neoliberalism. First, proponents of CASEL's SEL Framework and neoliberalism conceive of individuals as separate, responsible beings who can independently control their own economic and life destinies; they understand failure as a personal, rather than societal, problem. Second, neoliberalism demands ongoing self-surveillance in order to create more productive workers, and SEL initiatives extend existing surveillance techniques within schools to the affective realm, including through both student self-surveillance and teacher surveillance of students’ emotions. Third, both emphasize traditional morals, including those related to discipline and delayed gratification. The extensive alignment between neoliberal ideals and the CASEL SEL Framework suggests that such policies often work in tension with equity initiatives. Yet, given that students marginalized because of their race, class, gender identity, or other qualities often endure more emotional trauma than other student populations, the absence of attention to students’ emotional well-being may further existing inequities. I conclude by offering a reimagining of SEL policy initiatives that focuses on four guiding questions.

Enhancing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies among Education Students through the “Share a Book, Wake a Thought (SABWAT)” Activity

The holistic development of every learner is one vital aim of schools. Thus, the College of Education of the University of Batangas maintains and enhances students’ intellectual, physical and socio-emotional growth and development through developmentally-appropriate activities such as the Share a Book Wake a Thought (SABWAT) project. This research intended to enhance the social and emotional learning competencies of the student-donors of the books and eventually improve the ways the SABWAT activity would be handled in the next years. It utilized the descriptive research design with a self-constructed questionnaire as the main data gathering tool based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Frameworks. It also used focus group discussion to verify the information gathered. Using stratified random sampling, the researchers selected 111 out of 235 enrolled students in the College of Education. The researchers used descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the Education students, after being involved in the SABWAT activity, gained social awareness, self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and self-management skills; the manifested application of these competencies in life. Major issues and challenges were the limited number of books donated, the small number of students being involved in the actual donation day, and the lack of information about the activity. The proposed SABWAT improvement plan aims to address the issues and challenges like the aforementioned. It is also intended to improve the SEL competencies of students through the various activities relative to SABWAT.

Content Analysis of the CASEL Framework Using K–12 State SEL Standards

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly emphasized in educational research and practice for promoting children’s wellbeing. Perhaps the most well-known SEL framework is the model provided by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). This framework has become the dominant framework informing state SEL standards, which guide educators’ SEL related practice. Yet, the content of these standards has not been formally examined for alignment with the CASEL framework. The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the content of CASEL-based state standards to explore how the CASEL framework is translated into school-based practice and to understand what SEL skills are valued by states. Using text mining and network analysis, we identified SEL standard content that was consistent across nine states and examined relationships within and across CASEL domains. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Impact Statement Social and emotional learning (SEL) practices have grown in prominence and utility in schools across grade levels. The CASEL framework is commonly used to inform SEL intervention, assessment, and, more recently, state standards. We evaluated the content of SEL state standards created using the CASEL framework to explore how states have implemented CASEL’s model. We describe how states’ interpretations of CASEL domains may inform further scientific grounding of SEL-focused research, policy, and practice.

Qualitative Study on At-Risk Hispanic Adolescents engaged in Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness Practices

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The following study highlights the importance of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and provides a descriptive overview of the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) organization competencies at both the national and state level. Qualitative data was collected during a study conducted on at-risk Hispanic high school students who engaged in a mindfulness yoga program. Adolescents voluntarily participated in 12 weeks of mindfulness yoga (24 classes) and provided post essay responses to questions associated with the five core competencies of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Evidence aligned with SEL competencies after 24 mindfulness yoga sessions through implicit yoga instruction (absence of explicit direct instruction) were coded and reported accordingly. Overall, findings indicate consistencies with previous research on mindfulness yoga programs in the schools of the impactful benefits of healthy behaviors and mental wellness for adolescents at risk. Documented conclusions from this study showcase an increased positive impact on SEL categories of self-awareness, self-management, and decision making.&lt;/p&gt;

Systemic social and emotional learning: Promoting educational success for all preschool to high school students.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become more central to education because of demand from educators, parents, students, and business leaders alongside rigorous research showing broad, positive impacts for students and adults. However, all approaches to SEL are not equal. Systemic SEL is an approach to create equitable learning conditions that actively involve all Pre-K to Grade 12 students in learning and practicing social, emotional, and academic competencies. These conditions require aligned policies, resources, and actions at state and district levels that encourage local schools and communities to build the personal and professional capacities of adults to: implement and continuously improve evidence-based programs and practices; create an inclusive culture that fosters caring relationships and youth voice, agency, and character; and support coordinated school-family-community partnerships to enhance student development. Promoting social and emotional competencies-including the abilities to understand and manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show caring and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions-are important for success at school and in life. In this article, we summarize key concepts and evidence for systemic SEL. Next, we explain interrelated Theories of Action and resources developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to implement and continuously improve systemic SEL in schools, districts, and states. We discuss research on nested, interacting settings and processes involved in systemic SEL at proximal (classrooms, schools, families, and communities) and distal (districts, states, national, and international) ecological levels. We conclude with recommendations for future SEL research, practice, and policy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).