Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Sandra Duncan

Committee Member

Zandra Stino

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

social emotional learning, teacher attitudes, behavior problems, social skills, academic success

Abstract

This researcher examined teachers’ perceptions of the target school’s social-emotional learning (SEL) program and explored how it impacted student behaviors during the 2024-2025 school year. This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the current research-based SEL components and their competencies regarding its effectiveness in reducing problem behaviors while critiquing and having teachers integrate the SEL program to increase whole-school success through self-regulation. The expectation involved an increase in positive student behaviors and, essentially, improved academic achievement across the third through fifth grade.

Although students had returned to the physical school building (after 18 months of e-learning) and were now being resocialized with friends and teachers, children were experiencing culture shock, and they had lost many socialization skills. Therefore, when they came to school, they demonstrated very poor social behavior, bringing forth other negative responses. Needless to say, the school had to immediately respond to de-program them from the negative habits, help to amend these unfortunate ways, and toil diligently to reverse their negative spontaneous choice of responses. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of the target school’s SEL program and its impact on student behaviors in an attempt to promote teacher buy-in and build positive student behavior and academic success within the classroom.

Although the SEL program was given to every third- through fifth-grade teacher to implement, the researcher developed interview questions for select teachers. There were seven teachers who were interviewed: one third-grade general education, one fourth-grade general education, one fifth-grade general education with one special needs student, one sixth-grade general education with one special needs student, one fifth-grade special education classroom, one eighth-grade special education classroom, and one eighth-grade general education classroom. The researcher interviewed each teacher about the SEL program and its impact on challenging behaviors within the classroom. It was determined that these students may require Tier II interventions (e.g., small-group intervention) from the restorative justice coach.

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