Poster by: Alex Gist
Session: B | Time: 9:45AM – 10:00AM | Location: Room 201
Social emotional learning (SEL) has been gaining prominence in educational communities in recent years. The growing research base for SEL has shown many positive effects for students including improved attitudes, academic scores and pro-social behavior. Moreover, many jurisdictions, including British Columbia (BC) are incorporating SEL as part of the official curriculum— indicating not only that these are skills that are essential to children’s education in the 21st century, but also that teachers in BC should be prepared to promote them.
Although teachers play an important role in cultivating SEL in their pupils, little research exists on the effectiveness of teacher education programs’ ability to train future teachers in this important skill. UBC has developed a program for this type of SEL teacher training. However, the effectiveness of the program, has yet to be evaluated. The results of this study will provide initial insight into the effectiveness of SEL training for preservice teachers by determining if a teacher education program with an SEL focus will affect preservice teachers’ SEL beliefs over their year in the program.
Specifically, the study will examine changes in the beliefs of preservice teachers through a social emotional lens, including teacher confidence in promoting SEL, as well as their perceptions of the relative importance of SEL as a teaching priority. Teachers’ beliefs, including self-efficacy, are strong predictors of teachers’ decisions and behaviors in their classroom.
My research questions are:
1. What effects does an SEL infused teacher preparation program have on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in promoting SEL?
2. What effects does a teacher education program with an SEL focus have on preservice teachers’ teaching beliefs and teaching priorities?
Data for the study have already been collected and are currently being analyzed using a mixed design ANOVA comparing the change in participants’ teaching priorities and self-efficacy in SEL both over time and between cohorts. Results of the analyses will be presented. In addition to understanding the effects of an SEL infused teacher education program on preservice teacher, the results of this study will provide insight into the SEL beliefs of new teachers.
Abstract: 606