Educator Perception: The Use of Student Voice to Increase Engagement in Social Emotional Learning
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Authors
Brault, Paula
Date
2024-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERATION OF
Paula H. Brault for the degree of Doctor of Education in Learning, Leadership, and Community presented on March 25, 2024
Title: Educator Perception: The use of Student Voice to Increase Engagement in Social Emotional Learning
Abstract Approved:
Scott J. Mantie, PhD
Dissertation Committee Chair
There are decades of examples of the use of student voice to engage a student in curriculum. A sizeable gap in this research is the use of student voice in social emotional learning (SEL) to increase engagement. The purpose of this pragmatic study was to determine if incorporating student voice into the SEL curriculum is effective in changing adolescent student engagement. Online surveys were used to collect data. High school principals provided demographic information and SEL educators answered Likert Scale and open-ended questions regarding their impressions of student engagement with and without student voice. Data was also acquired from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website. Principals and educators at Massachusetts high schools with a population of less than 1,000, took part in the study. Qualitative and statistical analyses were used to make comparisons between programs that used student voice and those who did not. Of the 22 schools that participated, 15 school principals allowed SEL educators to participate and 23 educators completed the survey. Findings
showed positive outcomes in attendance and discipline. The researcher also explored potential changes in SEL curriculum and the needs of educators to be comfortable teaching SEL.