Social-Emotional Learning: How Does Teaching Elementary Students About SEL and Different Emotional Regulation Strategies Impact Their Engagement?

Presenter and Advisor Information

Alexa Starkey, Illinois Wesleyan University

Major

Educational Studies

Submission Type

Poster

Area of Study or Work

Educational Studies

Faculty Advisor

Leah Nillas

Location

CNS Atrium

Start Date

4-12-2025 11:15 AM

End Date

4-12-2025 12:15 PM

Abstract

It has been shown throughout various research studies that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has numerous positive benefits for students in the classroom. SEL is defined as a necessary part of education and human development that focuses on helping people to gain and practice the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (CASEL, 2020). In other words, schools that implement SEL into their everyday learning are seeing an increase in positive social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for their students (Kaspar & Massey, 2022). The purpose of this classroom research is to detail my own experiences in the classroom dealing with numerous different SEL and emotional regulation strategies and their impacts on students and their engagement in the classroom. During my semester of student teaching, I collected data in a third grade classroom consisting of twenty-three students. This group of students includes six students who are English language learners and one with an IEP. My data was collected through various methods throughout the semester, including student anecdotal notes and observations, students work, post-teaching observations, and even a student survey. Throughout my own research I utilitized the CASEL’s 2020 SEL framework to incorporate and analyze the five main components of SEL (i.e., self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness). The results from my data helped me to gain a better understanding of the impacts of SEL on student engagement and what emotional regulation strategies were deemed most effective and enjoyed by the students.

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Apr 12th, 11:15 AM Apr 12th, 12:15 PM

Social-Emotional Learning: How Does Teaching Elementary Students About SEL and Different Emotional Regulation Strategies Impact Their Engagement?

CNS Atrium

It has been shown throughout various research studies that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has numerous positive benefits for students in the classroom. SEL is defined as a necessary part of education and human development that focuses on helping people to gain and practice the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (CASEL, 2020). In other words, schools that implement SEL into their everyday learning are seeing an increase in positive social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for their students (Kaspar & Massey, 2022). The purpose of this classroom research is to detail my own experiences in the classroom dealing with numerous different SEL and emotional regulation strategies and their impacts on students and their engagement in the classroom. During my semester of student teaching, I collected data in a third grade classroom consisting of twenty-three students. This group of students includes six students who are English language learners and one with an IEP. My data was collected through various methods throughout the semester, including student anecdotal notes and observations, students work, post-teaching observations, and even a student survey. Throughout my own research I utilitized the CASEL’s 2020 SEL framework to incorporate and analyze the five main components of SEL (i.e., self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness). The results from my data helped me to gain a better understanding of the impacts of SEL on student engagement and what emotional regulation strategies were deemed most effective and enjoyed by the students.