Perspectives of a Culturally Affirming Multidisciplinary Preservice Training in Social and Emotional Learning

• In Event: Interrogating Assimilationist Education and Co-Constructing the Preservice Classroom

Abstract

This study captured the perceptions of pre-service education and social work interns after they participated in a culturally affirming multidisciplinary SEL training program. Four interns participated in the post-training focus group. All 4 participants were women and 3 were pre-service social work interns. With respect to the interns’ racial background, three interns self-identified as Caucasian, and one identified as Latinx. Qualitative methodology was utilized to explore preservice interns’ perceptions. Content analysis revealed four themes: multidisciplinary collaboration, knowledge, race and culture, and barriers to implementation.
The theme “multidisciplinary collaboration” was defined as learning SEL in a multidisciplinary team of school professionals. The pre-service interns said that such collaborations made them feel comfortable asking questions, receiving feedback, and identifying innovative ways to distribute roles and responsibilities to their colleagues from different disciplines.
The theme “knowledge” was defined as understanding SEL. The pre-service interns said that the training complemented the knowledge they received in their collegiate programs by providing tangible resources and a process for affirming racial identity and critical thinking.
The theme “race and culture” was defined as integrating race, discussing racial disparity, and differentiating cultural needs in SEL. The pre-service interns said the training enhanced their understanding of how issues of race and culture might impact their students’ social and emotional development. Furthermore, they realized how conversations and activities that promote identity formation can help facilitate sociopolitical issues (racial disparities and cultural needs) that high school students may consider.
The theme “barriers” was defined as barriers to implementing what they learned during the training at their internships. The pre-service interns identified the emphasis on standardized testing in their internship school sites and their lack of authority (as interns) to implement new programs as barriers to SEL implementation.
Implications
Providing multi-disciplinary training that focuses on social and emotional development and race is rarely the aim of such programs. However, participants in this study viewed the integration of race into the pre-service, multidisciplinary SEL training as beneficial, especially since such connections were not always made obvious in their coursework. Some of the pre-service interns suggested that such integration be implemented in K-12 schools, insisting that SEL lessons should be relevant to the racial and cultural identity of the students they served. Study participants, especially those who interned in high schools, note that discussing identity, race, and culture can promote the social and emotional development of students. Conversations and activities that promote identity formation can help facilitate sociopolitical issues (racial disparities and cultural needs) that high school students may consider. These findings could have possible implications for pre-service education programs and ultimately how school professionals are trained.
Pre-service education and social work programs should consider exposing their students to social and emotional learning and racial identity content in their curricula, which may increase the probability of teachers and social workers actively supporting the social, emotional, and racial identity development of their K-12 students. SEL training programs in urban schools with largely African American and Latino populations can be enhanced by soliciting the voice of key community stakeholders (Jagers et al., 2019).

Author

• Chastity Owens, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Presenting Author