Browsing by Author "Sosa, Valerie M., 1970-"

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The construct of looping : a qualitative multiple case study understanding what teachers perceived to be the benefits of looping for instituting social-emotional learning practices.
(2023-08) Sosa, Valerie M., 1970-; LeCompte, Karon N.
Educators engage daily in doing what is best for students and ensuring success for each student, searching for new ways to connect with students, and creating stimulating learning communities is the work (Martins et al., 2022; Swanson, 1999). Looping is a practice in which a teacher progresses to the next grade level with students (Bielefeld, 2016; Grant et al., 1996; Phelps, 2016; Rasmussen, 1998). Looping allows educators to establish positive relationships and support academic progress for students, teachers, administrators, and districts (Elliott & Capp, 2003). Students who do not connect with their teachers become disengaged and may not attend school regularly (Lukkarinen et al., 2016). Students who lack understanding of social situations interact inappropriately with others, fail to recognize and manage their emotions, and do not develop self-regulation skills to succeed (Daunic et al., 2014). Looping allows schools and teachers to provide social-emotional learning (SEL) practices within the classroom, thereby sustaining an understanding of positive classroom environments (Frelin, 2015). In this qualitative multiple case study, the researcher used data from interviews, observations, and artifact gatherings along with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework to answer the central research question about what teachers perceived as the benefits of looping for instituting SEL practices. The CASEL (2023a) framework supports short-term, intermediate, and long-term student outcomes addressed in different settings, including classrooms, schools, homes, and communities. Looping provides the time and setting to implement opportunities to cultivate, practice, reflect, and internalize social-emotional skills. The study’s participants included four educators who wanted to address the lack of time to teach SEL during school hours. Participants used the time saved in the looping classroom to foster relationships using their knowledge of students’ strengths and weaknesses and understand how best to group students for cooperative learning. The teachers created opportunities for students to practice communicating clearly, listening actively, and negotiating conflict while they integrated using the practice of SEL. Looping in a school system addressed declining statistics and established positive teacher-student relationships within the classroom (Franz et al., 2010; Hill & Jones, 2018; Klinzing, 2019).