Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
Committee Chair
Victoria A Osborne-Leute
2nd Reader
Dr. Deirdra Preis, Ed.D.
3rd Reader
Katherine Hillman-Harrison
Abstract
This mixed methods Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP), examined the impact of a social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, Character Strong, on teacher’s SEL knowledge, belief, and practices. This study, conducted in a rural northeastern state, trained teachers to use Character Strong, a low-burden, high-impact SEL curriculum for six weeks. Participants generated quantitative data via three surveys. Two were administered in a pre and post test format, and the Wilcoxon signed rank test was administered to establish statistical significance. The third survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Teacher participants generated qualitative data through interview processes. Qualitative and Quantitative data were integrated to generate a deeper understanding of results. Overall, the Character Strong curriculum did improve teacher SEL knowledge, beliefs, and practices. Quantitative data generated statistically significant results regarding the improvement of teacher knowledge and skills. Although no statistically significant quantitative results were generated with the teacher belief domains, qualitative data generated improvement in some areas of teacher beliefs. Overall, teachers were overwhelmingly supportive of the Character Strong curriculum, observed practical benefits to students and experienced improved self-efficacy, resulting in more robust classroom-based SEL practices.
Recommended Citation
Wedgewood, K.M. (2025). Improving teacher capacity to support student wellness in the classroom [Doctoral dissertation, Sacred Heart University]. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/edd/62/
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Comments
A dissertation in the Isabelle Farrington College of Education and Human Development presented to the faculty of Sacred Heart University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education.