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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this national research study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of their ability to support and nurture social and emotional learning in the classroom, and to examine this specifically in relationship to their school curricular philosophy (Reggio inspired, NAEYC accredited and non-Reggio inspired, and both NAEYC accredited and Reggio inspired). This investigation sought evidence of whether or not teachers who teach in schools inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach held different perceptions of their ability to promote social and emotional learning in the classroom. A causal-comparative research design was used for this investigation. This study focused on answering the following research question: What are teachers' perceptions of their abilities to support social and emotional learning in the classroom as it relates to their preschool curricular philosophy, in Reggio inspired preschools versus non-Reggio inspired NAEYC accredited preschools? Participating preschools for this study were randomly selected and consisted of 191 preschools across the United States. Forty-seven teachers were conveniently selected by a gatekeeper at each school. The data collection was conducted via a web-based survey; therefore, all participants remained anonymous. The Social Emotional Environmental Scale (SEES) consisted of 26 questions requiring responses on a 5-point Likert rating scale, followed by open ended prompts. A Cronbach’s Alpha revealed a reliability coefficient at 0.952 for the instrument. ANOVA analyses were conducted to determine if there was a significant difference between the means of the three groups for each of the survey questions. Furthermore, a Pearson r analysis was conducted for all groups to investigate the relationship between the school curricular philosophy and the value of time, emotional awareness, problem solving, and social skills (as measured by the survey). Lastly, a linear multiple regression analysis was used to predict if school curricular philosophies revealed different results in the teachers’ perceptions when fostering social and emotional development as it related to the SEES factors. The Predictive Analytic Software 18.0 (PASW-18), was used to complete the data analysis. Quantitative findings for 25 of the 26 survey questions revealed no significant difference between teachers’ perceptions of their ability to support Social and Emotional Learning in the classroom. However, the findings did indicate a significant difference in the responses of the three groups in terms of the way they articulated their knowledge of their school philosophy. Furthermore, qualitative open-ended responses indicated more detail in reference to the language (i.e., teachers’ voices) that the teachers used to communicate their perceptions of their ability to promote social/emotional learning based on their school curricular philosophy. The voices of the teachers from Reggio inspired and NAEYC accredited and Reggio inspired preschools indicated that they were in constant reflection of their practice; considering themselves as both teachers and learners in search of improving their practice in order to provide children with the support they need to grow academically, socially, and emotionally thus fostering resilience in their students. Additionally, findings revealed that only when the curriculum and the philosophy merge together as one, can the whole community (i.e. teachers, children, families, administrators, staff, and the surrounding community) believe in the same values and ideals and, consequently, allow those objectives to be achieved.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2011.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-160).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Daniela Fenu Foerch. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LB1029.R35 F64 2011_FoerchDaniela ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LB1029.R35 F64 2011 ( lcc )
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