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Dissertation
A Program Evaluation of a Social-Emotional Learning Program at Weaver College
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2023
Abstract
This outcome-based, theory-driven program evaluation assessed the impact of a social–emotional learning (SEL) program created for 1st-year students at Weaver College. The program focused on the development of five noncognitive social–emotional skills (NCSES) identified in college persistence literature as correlates of increased retention and graduation rates (i.e., “self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making”; Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], 2021a, para. 5). Weaver College is a pseudonym for a small, historically Black college (HBCU) in the southeastern United States with graduation rates 22% lower than its historically White peer institutions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021d, 2021e). Colleges nationwide have traditionally offered programs to support the socioenvironmental development associated with increased retention (Tinto, 1975). Few colleges, however, have explored the merits of cultivating key intrapersonal skills associated with retention (Palmer & Strayhorn, 2008; Tracey & Sedlacek, 1987) and supported by the SEL framework (CASEL, 2021a). This evaluation used Chen’s comprehensive theory-driven model (Chen, 1990, 2006) to assess factors impacting the effectiveness of the Socially and Emotionally Leveraged Freshmen (SELF) program in three critical areas: the intervention, the theory of change, and implementation elements unique to the local context. I used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to gather posttest data from treatment and comparison groups. Quantitative data measured the impact of the intervention on the development of the five NCSES and the program theory, which hypothesized that the development of self-management is foundational to the growth of the remaining NCSES (Daunic et al., 2013; Daunic et al., 2021). Qualitative phenomenological data clarified the quantitative findings and provided insight into program theory and influential contextual and implementation factors. The post-test-only pre-experimental design and small sample size were study limitations. Students completing the SELF program scored higher than their peers in the self-awareness and self-management domains, although the difference was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, students’ experiences suggested development in these two areas. Students’ narratives revealed the intervention’s positive impact and demonstrated partial alignment with the theory of change. Although the self-management theme was apparent, self-awareness emerged more frequently in the narratives, implying self-awareness and self-management may be proximal and medial outcomes foundational to the intermediate and distal outcomes of improved NCSES and increased retention and graduation rates. Various low-level contextual factors positively impacted program success (e.g., curriculum choice, course length). The evaluation also uncovered unfavorable factors (e.g., lack of facilitator training, certain curricular limitations). Key recommendations include emphasizing facilitator training and restructuring the third module of the curriculum. Alternatively, high-level contextual factors consisting of nine criteria highlighted by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2006) as critical to program development, implementation, and sustainability served as the basis for evaluative judgments. Primary recommendations in this category center on team building, vision creation and articulation, and rigorous planning to achieve greater impact. Study findings and recommendations were communicated via executive summary and shared with key stakeholders and the advisory board in a joint meeting. The study identified how the SELF program could meet students’ needs in the first- and second-year experience programs at Weaver College while providing HBCUs and other colleges and universities across the nation with a tool to target students’ social–emotional development and impact retention and graduation.
Details
- Title
- A Program Evaluation of a Social-Emotional Learning Program at Weaver College
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Byron Havard (Committee Chair)Minkyoung Kim (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 298
- Copyright
- Permission granted to the University of West Florida Libraries to digitize and/or display this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires the permission of the copyright holder.
- Identifiers
- 99380461696806600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida