Social-Emotional Learning for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: High School Teachers’ Perspectives

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Anita Gardner ◽  
Michelle Wong ◽  
Belinda Ratcliffe
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Core Characteristics

Abstract Social-emotional learning (SEL) is key to student success. Teachers can effectively implement SEL programs to a variety of school populations, with demonstrated improvements in emotional, social, and academic outcomes. Research also suggests that SEL for students on the autism spectrum can result in improved outcomes. Although social-emotional difficulties are core characteristics of autism, there is a dearth of research identifying the SEL needs for high school students on the autism spectrum and how to meet these needs. The aim of this preliminary qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of SEL needs in a high school setting with adolescents on the autism spectrum. A focus group was conducted with 8 experienced teachers from mainstream and special needs settings. The thematic analysis identified 3 themes: (a) SEL needs of students on the autism spectrum, (b) teaching SEL in high school settings, and (c) gaps in SEL. The study also revealed suggestions for how a SEL program could be developed so that it best meets the needs of the teachers who would be implementing it. Outcomes from this study provide important insights into SEL in adolescents on the autism spectrum in special education and have practical implications for intervention models.

scholarly journals Adolescent Achievement: Relative Contributions of Social Emotional Learning, Self-efficacy, and Microsystem Supports

2020 ◽  
pp. 001312452096208
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Fairless ◽  
Cheryl L. Somers ◽  
Rachel L. Goutman ◽  
Carla A. Kevern ◽  
Francesca M. Pernice ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Students

This study examined the role of select intrapersonal and microsystem factors in high school adolescents’ academic achievement. A combination of factors, derived from an ecological framework, were hypothesized to be unique in their ability to explain greater proportions of variance in academic achievement in adolescents. Participants included 379 high school students (176 males, 193 females) from a mid-western high school in a large metropolitan area with a 53% poverty rate that enrolls approximately 1,500 students. A variety of variables emerged as significant predictors of academic achievement, with social emotional learning, self-efficacy, socio-economic status, parental involvement, peer support, and teacher support all explaining significant proportions of variance in achievement, and some to stronger degrees than others. This lends support to the notion that learning is shaped by a myriad of ecological factors. These findings are discussed with regard to their usefulness in understanding ways in which to target each of the investigated variables to ultimately increase academic achievement in adolescents.

Utilizing Culturally Responsive Teaching in an SEL Curriculum

2020 ◽  
pp. 152-169
Author(s):  
Ronald D. Morgan ◽  
Sonia Rodriguez ◽  
Sladjana Rakich
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Culturally Responsive Teaching ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
Responsive Teaching ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Students ◽  
Equitable Outcomes ◽  
Diverse Groups

Schools are increasing the use of social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, especially at the elementary level. As this trend continues, it's important to examine the SEL curriculum and the competencies that define it. While there are similar definitions for explaining what's involved in SEL, most educators agree that it's basically the process through which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, in order to help them make more responsible decisions. In this chapter, the detailed elements of SEL will be reviewed first, followed by an overview of the basic tenets of culturally responsive teaching. Additional cultural needs that today's elementary, middle, and high school students face will also be addressed in this chapter. The last part of the chapter will discuss the importance of merging SEL and culturally responsive teaching in co-existence in order to develop a stronger curriculum for creating equitable outcomes for diverse groups of students.

Utilizing Culturally Responsive Teaching in an SEL Curriculum

2021 ◽  
pp. 422-439
Author(s):  
Ronald D. Morgan ◽  
Sonia Rodriguez ◽  
Sladjana Rakich
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Culturally Responsive Teaching ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
Responsive Teaching ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Students ◽  
Equitable Outcomes ◽  
Diverse Groups

Schools are increasing the use of social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, especially at the elementary level. As this trend continues, it's important to examine the SEL curriculum and the competencies that define it. While there are similar definitions for explaining what's involved in SEL, most educators agree that it's basically the process through which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, in order to help them make more responsible decisions. In this chapter, the detailed elements of SEL will be reviewed first, followed by an overview of the basic tenets of culturally responsive teaching. Additional cultural needs that today's elementary, middle, and high school students face will also be addressed in this chapter. The last part of the chapter will discuss the importance of merging SEL and culturally responsive teaching in co-existence in order to develop a stronger curriculum for creating equitable outcomes for diverse groups of students.

Fostering Democratic and Social-Emotional Learning in Action Civics Programming: Factors That Shape Students’ Learning From Project Soapbox

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 1203-1240
Author(s):  
Molly W. Andolina ◽  
Hilary G. Conklin
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Civic Education ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Student Focus ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Work Samples

This research examines the factors that shape high school students’ experiences with an action civics program—Project Soapbox—that fosters democratic and social-emotional learning. Drawing on pre- and postsurveys with 204 students, classroom observations, teacher interviews, student work samples, and student focus group interviews, the study illuminates how specific features of the curriculum and its implementation are linked to its promising outcomes. Our findings indicate that the curriculum’s emphases and structure, along with instructional decisions and context, play key roles in influencing student outcomes. Project Soapbox’s power lies in its alignment with many well-established civic education best practices and in its intentional linkage with key social-emotional learning practices, many of which are newly recognized as having particular civic import.

Moral Reasoning in Behaviorally Disordered Adolescents from Alternative and Traditional High Schools

1991 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Schonert ◽  
Gordon N. Cantor
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Alternative Education ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
School Setting ◽  
School Students ◽  
Behaviorally Disordered ◽  
Traditional School ◽  
Alternative Setting ◽  
The Impact

Very few studies have examined moral reasoning in students identified as having behavioral disorders and enrolled in a special education setting. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the impact of alternative education programs designed for behaviorally disordered youth on moral reasoning development. This research examined the moral reasoning of behaviorally disordered adolescents enrolled in alternative and traditional high school settings. The results indicate that behaviorally disordered high school students enrolled in either an alternative or traditional school setting are significantly lower in moral reasoning compared to their non-behaviorally disordered peers. The moral reasoning of the behaviorally disordered students enrolled in an alternative setting is similar to that of like students enrolled in a traditional school setting. The correlation between time (months) spent in the alternative setting and moral reasoning is positive, but not significant.

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