Teachers’ implementation of social-emotional learning programs in the kindergarten classroom.
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Students’ and teachers’ social-emotional learning (SEL) is the foundation upon which academic learning can thrive. A systematic implementation of SEL programs, with teachers’ awareness of how they affect the implementation, is needed to understand its implications of embedding SEL in the classroom. This qualitative study aimed to examine how kindergarten teachers’ teaching through imitation, identification, and social roles, based on Bandura’s social learning theory, shaped the implementation of CharacterStrong, an SEL program. The data from the research study indicated kindergarten teachers identified the intentionality of their actions, intentionality of their words, and perceptions of student behavior when implementing SEL in the classroom. Kindergarten teachers also influenced the implementation of CharacterStrong thorough their social roles in the classroom. The conclusions from the data highlighted future implications: a scaffolded approach to classroom implementation of SEL programs and self-reflection through the implementation process to build teacher self-efficacy. Future longitudinal research is needed to show the effects of SEL programs on students as they progress through school and to study teacher perceived capacity to teach students social-emotional skills.