Poster #79 - Understanding Children’s Experiences during Collaborative Discussions through the Lens of ENA

• In Event: Poster Session 07

Abstract

Students’ emotional and academic distress has increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Educators identify both the severe learning loss and lack of socialization for their students. The multifaceted effects of the pandemic have drawn educators’ and stakeholders’ attention to the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) within classroom settings. SEL competencies play a prominent role in enhancing students’ ability to perform prosocial behaviors, and manage stress and depression (CASEL, 2019). Former studies indicated that SEL interventions reduced conduct problems such as aggression and bullying (Durlak et al., 2011; Taylor et al., 2017) while also improving academic achievements and well-being (Mahfouz & Anthony-Stevens, 2020).
Grounded to the Sociocultural Theory, which perceives learning as a socially mediated process, we hypothesized that SEL can be promoted through collaborative learning, particularly Collaborative Reasoning (CR) discussions. CR, as a form of dialogic learning, allows students to engage with controversial issues based on policy, moral and scientific issues. Multiple studies have proven the effectiveness of CR in promoting students’ critical thinking (Kim et al., 2007) and reasoning skills (Clark et., 2003; Sun et al., 2015). In addition, one study showed that CR was associated with students’ lower aggression and higher peer social acceptance (Lin et., 2021).
This six-month study was conducted in an elementary school in a Northwestern state in the U.S. Sixty-two students from three fourth-grade classes participated, with each class divided into small groups of 6-8 students. Facilitated by their teachers, each group took part in eight series of CR discussions. After completing the final discussion, each student went through a semi-structured interview to share their perspectives and attitudes towards CR.
Ethnographic Network Analysis (ENA) was employed to examine themes related to students’ SEL identified from student interviews. Understanding how these themes are interconnected will illuminate the benefits of CR for the five major SEL competencies as specified by CASEL (2019). To test for differences among three different classes, we applied a Mann-Whitney test to the location of points in the projected ENA. There was no statistically significant difference between classes 1 and 2. However, a Mann-Whitney test showed that the SEL skills network of class 1 (Mdn = -0.39) was statistically significantly different from class 3 (Mdn = 0.63, U = 345.00, p < 0.00, r = -0.67) along the X-axis. A significant difference was also found along the Y-axis of group 1 (Mdn = -0.40) and group 3 (Mdn = 0.26, U = 126.00, p = 0.03, r = 0.39). Similar results were found when we compared classes 2 and 3. The ENA graphics showed that students from class 1 and class 2 primarily recognized their growth in social awareness and relationship skills, whereas students from class 3 highlighted the benefit of CR for gaining skills in perspective-taking.
This study contributes to a growing interest in using collaborative learning to support children’s social and emotional development. Further, this study provides a specific case for educators who are seeking an integrative approach to bridge SEL and academic learning.

Authors

• Sisilia Novena Kusumaningsih, University of Montana
  Presenting Author

• Olivia Kersey-Bronec, University of Montana

• Jingjing Sun, University of Montana