Educators’ experiences of establishing social and emotional learning pedagogies in an elementary school with at-risk students

Abstract

There exists a need to explore educators’ initial experiences of working to establish Social and Emotional (SEL) pedagogies like Restorative Practices (RP) at elementary school level to help avoid slippage in implementation and inform and sustain long term positive change within school communities. Adopting a social ecological perspective, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore educators’ experiences of establishing SEL pedagogies in an elementary school with at-risk students. Utilizing interviews, focus group, and researcher field notes, 14 educators were asked to reflect on their understandings and ongoing experiences of SEL continued professional development and implementation of restorative practices. Applying inductive and deductive analysis, three themes emerged: Establishing the Significance of SEL through CPD; Putting SEL into Practice; and Realities of Establishing SEL. The insights of educators highlight where gaps existed and further support was required in order to incorporate the wider community and the fundamental role and influence of family in development of their students. Compared with the quantitative methodologies that have dominated SEL literature, qualitative methods help elicit the nuanced contextual opportunities and challenges educators experience when it comes to understanding and practically implementing SEL pedagogies holistically.