Exploring Factors Impacting Social Emotional Instructor Efficacy

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 8:00 a.m. Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Empowerment, Efficacy, Education: Validating Educator SEL (Table 9)

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the experiences, challenges, and supports encountered by instructors implementing the "Learning to Breathe" (L2B) mindfulness-based program in a suburban school district over two years. Through 59 interviews with 31 instructors across 50 schools, the study identifies the significance of this work as well as the significant emotional labor associated with teaching mindfulness, including compassion fatigue and the challenges of adapting to non-traditional classroom norms. Despite challenges such as managing program-specific content and classroom management, the study highlights the effectiveness of responsive support systems provided by a partnering health agency, such as peer observation and one-on-one consultations. Findings emphasize the need for tailored supports in social emotional learning programs to address unique implementation challenges and maximize efficacy.

Authors

• Kathleen B. King, North Central College

• Mary Beth Ressler, North Central College

• Julia Mahfouz, University of Colorado - Denver

• Liana Hall, University of Colorado - Denver

• Susan Jeane Davis, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Alison Wilson, University of Houston

• George Panayiotou, University of Colorado - Denver