Submission Type

Article

Aligning Classroom Management Strategies with a Social Emotional Learning Curriculum in Early Childhood

Authors

Jessica Kemp, University of Massachusetts, AmherstFollow
Sara Whitcomb, University of Massachusetts, AmherstFollow

Abstract

Traditionally, school-based preventative frameworks have been implemented in isolation with little consideration of alignment and integration of practices throughout the school day. The present study aims to address this gap by increasing school psychologists’ preventative involvement with consultation in early childhood school settings. Using an integrated approach through a multiple baseline design, four Head Start educators were trained in classroom management practices, to increase opportunities throughout the day for teaching, prompting, and reinforcing key skills taught through the Second Step Early Learning (SSEL) social emotional learning curriculum. Findings suggest that a brief professional development session (1-hour) followed by weekly performance feedback (15 minutes) largely increased educator use of aligning classroom management strategies with weekly SSEL lessons (ES = .94, p-value =

Impact Statement

There is a critical need to support young children at-risk for early school failure due to behavioral and emotional challenges. Although the menu of evidence-based interventions for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and proactive classroom management continues to grow, a notable gap exists regarding the factors that ensure sufficient training and implementation fidelity (Hemmeter et al., 2015). The current study adds to the literature by using consultation with performance feedback to align classroom management strategies with the Second Step Early Learning (SSEL) curriculum in a Head Start program. In addition, it aims to expand the role of the school psychologist to facilitate integrated preventative practices in preschool settings. The purpose of this research was to understand the effects of a brief professional development session and weekly performance feedback on educator implementation of aligned SSEL lessons and classroom management practices, on children’s challenging behaviors, as well as its social validity.

Recommended Citation

Kemp, Jessica and Whitcomb, Sara (2023) "Aligning Classroom Management Strategies with a Social Emotional Learning Curriculum in Early Childhood," Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education: Vol. 7: Iss. 2, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58948/2834-8257.1054
Available at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/perspectives/vol7/iss2/4

Special Issue

special issue - part II (unsure of official special issue name)