Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
Dr. Goli Rezai-Rashti
Committee Member
Dr. Barbara Packer
Keywords
affective education, behavior management, children's literature, cooperative learning, elementary school, literacy-based instruction, positive vocabulary, prosocial skills, reading instruction, self-esteem curricula, social development curricula, social emotional competence, social emotional intelligence, social skills, teacher training
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide educators with a curriculum embedded program to prevent, curtail, or reverse the negative trajectory of poor social emotional development of elementary students. Third-grade students failed to demonstrate social emotional intelligence. They lacked discipline. They exhibited difficulty staying on task and working cooperatively with peers, repeatedly interrupted instruction, used negative language, did not return homework, and were often referred to the office for disciplinary action.
In a 5-week training session, teachers learned how to implement the writer’s Sowing SEEDS (Social Emotional and Educational Development of Students) Curriculum. This literacy-based program contained children’s literature aligned with positive vocabulary. Structured lessons provided students opportunities to use positive vocabulary, to work cooperatively with peers, and to identify and demonstrate behaviors indicative of social emotional competence within storybook characters. Teachers were trained to integrate the social development curriculum in the subject of reading.
Results indicated that student referrals to the principal’s office decreased. An analysis of data revealed that the vocabulary strategies that were utilized were not sufficient to promote an increase in positive vocabulary scores, and 11 out of 12 objectives were not met. However, most students demonstrated improvement on all social emotional intelligence measures except positive vocabulary. The writer concluded that the use of a literature-based social development program that was incorporated in reading instruction facilitated knowledge of positive social emotional intelligence and decreased negative behaviors.