Date of Award

Summer 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Stephen Laws

Abstract

As SEL is intentionally embedded into a student’s school experience, it is important to explore contexts in which SEL can be further enhanced. Because the bilingual brain has shown high correlation to social and emotional behaviors, this study examined the dual language environment and the impact on a student’s SEL. The setting is a K-5 global and dual language immersion school, and the study examined the social and emotional competency of students learning in the K-3 dual language immersion cohorts compared to K-3 students in the traditional learning cohorts. The study used the Devereux Student Strength Assessment (DESSA)-Mini from Aperture Education to assess the student’s social and emotional total (SET). Teachers and parents assessed students using the DESSA-Mini, a brief SEL rating form. The data were analyzed for significant impact of the dual language environment on SEL. Additionally, a K-3 teacher focus group was facilitated and responses were coded and analyzed for increased social and emotional behaviors from the K-3 dual language student cohort. Data outcomes were presented to the school setting and the District Administration. First and third grade student data did not demonstrate a significant SEL impact. However, through overall examined research and data analysis, it is concluded that a DLI instructional model is an effective pathway to support SEL.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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