Let’s Read into It: The Impact of Social Emotional Learning on Student Emotional Behavior

My research was designed to develop and implement ways to incorporate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into existing lessons, comprehension strategies, and means of motivation. In my study, I determined how the integration of Social Emotional Learning into a second-grade classroom affects students’ engagement. The term Social Emotional Learning is defined by Fredricks (2002) as “Emotional engagement encompasses positive and negative reactions to teachers, classmates, academics, and school and is presumed to create ties to an institution and influence willingness to do the work.” This also connects to teacher support associated with emotional and cognitive engagement; peer support, work norms, and task challenges. Emotional engagement refers to students’ affective reactions in the classroom, including interest, boredom, happiness, sadness, and anxiety (Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Skinner & Belmont, 1993). I collected and analyzed data through field notes, class photographs, lesson plans, and student work samples. My objective throughout this self-study was to enhance my understanding of the structure of my students’ families, to identify and establish open communication with the children, and to support the emotional well-being of my students through Social Emotional Learning awareness.