Causal-comparative Study: Differences in Academic Achievement by Levels of Social-emotional Skills in Grade Five Students

Author(s)

David Frederick SalvatelliFollow

Date

12-2019

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Gary Kuhne

Keywords

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Persistence, Social Competence, Florida Standards Assessment, Emotional Competence, Academic Achievement

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Leadership

Recommended Citation

Salvatelli, David Frederick, "Causal-comparative Study: Differences in Academic Achievement by Levels of Social-emotional Skills in Grade Five Students" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2261.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2261

Abstract

Students’ social-emotional skills contribute to academic achievement and life success. This causal-comparative study examined differences in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) achievement test scores among grade five students by their levels of proficiency (low, moderate, or high) in particular social and emotional skills, namely, academic self-efficacy, persistence, self-control, mastery orientation, and social competence. Participants were 115 grade five students from Title I schools in a metropolitan school district in south Florida. Each social and emotional skill was assessed using the Child Trends Social and Emotional Skills Survey battery. Multivariate Analysis of Variance, Analysis of Variance, and post hoc tests were used to test null hypotheses that there were no statistically significant differences in Florida Standards Assessment mathematics and ELA achievement test scores among participants by their levels of proficiency in the social-emotional skills examined in the study. Statistically significant differences in math scores were found among participants from moderate to high levels of persistence, from moderate to high levels of academic self-efficacy, and from moderate to high levels of self-control. Statistically significant differences in ELA scores were found among participants from moderate to high levels of persistence, from moderate to high levels of social competence, from moderate to high levels of self-control, from moderate to high levels of academic self-efficacy, and from moderate to high levels of persistence combined with moderate to high levels of self-control. Recommendations for future research are presented.