A Change in Plans

Hello again,

I apologize for the delay in updates for the SEL In Action Research project. Unfortunately, we have been unable to recruit two schools to participate in the study. This has led to us rethinking how we can explore the topic of how SEL is enacted. Below, I will describe the new direction, methods and timeline for the project.

A New Scope, New Title

The project will still be referred to as the SEL In Action, as the focus has not changed. However, the specific research project is now entitled, The conceptualization and enactment of social and emotional learning in Canada: Exploring links between research, policy, and practice. You will see the updated name and description of the project throughout the website now.

The scope of the project will no longer be focused on two schools within Ontario. We will now be looking at how SEL is conceptualized and enacted through research, policy, and practice within Canada. To do this, there will be three phases of the study.

New Approach

The first phase, which is currently underway, will be exploring how researchers conceptualize and enact SEL in school settings. This will involve a scoping review (details will be in the next post) of SEL research being conducted in elementary schools in Canada. This phase will be ongoing, but preliminary findings will start being shared at the beginning of April 2020.

The second phase will explore practitioners experiences with SEL. Through social media, we will recruit elementary teachers, support staff, and administrators to participate in interviews regarding how they enact SEL in practice. Teachers and support staff will also be invited to participate in focus groups. This phase will begin mid-March 2020 and continue until the end of May 2020.

Finally, based on which provinces participants are from, we will be exploring the curriculum documents for how SEL is conceptualized within the documents. This final phase will begin May 2020 and wrap up June 2020.

The final links between the three phases will be explored on an ongoing basis throughout the study. Preliminary thoughts and findings will be shared here on the research website. However, the final analysis of the three phases as a whole will be completed in July 2020.

Next Steps

Currently, the scoping review has begun. I will soon be posting about our search strategy and my progress working through the initial screening phase (and what that means).

In a couple weeks, I will begin the process of recruiting through social media for the second phase of the study.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to email me at: hwoods@uottawa.ca.

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