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Hailey McAfee-Scimone, Psy.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Kathi Borden, PsyD, Chairperson
  • Gina Pasquale, PsyD, Committee Member
  • James Sparrell, PhD, Committee Member

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

4-2024

Abstract

This dissertation describes a project to develop an art-based curriculum to teach young elementary school-age children social and emotional skills in the classroom based on the experiences of experts in the field of elementary education. Social-emotional learning (SEL) focuses on several key concepts including skills in interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation, and mindfulness (McClelland et al., 2017). By addressing SEL early within the education curriculum, children are exposed to resources that will help them to develop strong regulation skills, engage in identity exploration, and practice healthy relationship skills (Jones et al., 2017). The integration of SEL and art creates a learning format that embraces the characteristics of creativity and play that are engaging for children, while teaching important skills, such as communication and emotion regulation, in a manner that meets students where they are developmentally (Alfonso & DuPaul, 2020). Nine elementary education professionals were interviewed to collect information about social-emotional learning in schools. The interviews were conducted with a primary focus on the questions: what makes SEL programs effective, what are the roles of school in providing SEL, and what skills are most impactful at the first-grade level? Interviews identified observed positive impacts of social-emotional lessons in first-grade classrooms, preferences for brief lessons that can be easily incorporated into classroom schedules, and a need for creative expression in learning. Using the themes identified in each interview, a classroom-based curriculum was developed. This curriculum focuses on working with first-grade students to develop strong social-emotional skills through art instruction and projects. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.

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ORCID: 0009-0006-2581-2947

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