Semester of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Secondary and Middle Grades Education
Department
The Department of Secondary & Middle Grades Education
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Meilin Chang (Co-Chair); Dr. Rachel Gaines (Co-Chair)
Second Advisor
Dr. Johari Harris
Abstract
While it is a well-accepted fact that teachers significantly influence students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) and academic outcomes, limited empirical research examines the role secondary teachers’ perceptions play in implementing SEL and shaping its programmatic outcomes on a schoolwide scale. Prevailing SEL research focuses on students' perceptions of SEL and its academic and social-emotional benefits; however, this study centered on teachers’ perceptions of SEL efficacy, beliefs and values derived from their lived experiences in implementing student SEL. Grounded in a dual theoretical framework integrating aspects of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (1997) and Wigfield and Eccles’ expectancy-value theory (2000), this narrative case study explored secondary teachers’ perceptual accounts of implementing SEL through extracurricular, teacher-driven choice clubs embedded in the school day. Data analysis employed both inductive and deductive coding adapted from the Collaborative for Academic and Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL core competency framework. Findings suggest that teachers’ perceptions of SEL were tied to their sense of efficacy and motivation, featuring three emergent themes on the impact of choice clubs on students’ emotional well-being and their relationships with peers and teachers. This study demonstrated how empowering teachers and students by way of autonomy and flexibility may enhance SEL programmatic outcomes, offering novel implications for effective, schoolwide SEL implementation in secondary school settings.