Wright 1

Applying the Explicit Social Emotional Learning Pedagogy to Improve Students Mathematical

Academic Performance

Signature Pedagogy Research

EDU 378

Patricia Wright

Manhattan College
 Wright 2

Abstract

When working with students, math educators everywhere have come across an adamant

student claiming, “I cannot do math.” This statement is an indicator of math phobia; the fixed

mindset makes students believe being good at math is an inherited trait, not an acquired skill

learned over time. This paper speaks about how explicit social-emotional learning pedagogy can

combat math phobia leading to student improvement in mathematics. This paper evaluates three

case studies looking at the academic impacts of social-emotional learning. Information from the

case studies and other literature reviews will give educators the instructional strategies needed to

implement the explicit social-emotional learning pedagogy in their classroom.

 Wright 3

One of the most common problems math educators will encounter in their classrooms is

math phobia, also known as math anxiety. According to an article by Information Capsule, a

review of recent publications in education defines math phobia as "The negative emotions that

interfere with the solving of mathematical problems." (Blazer, 2011) Information Capsule reports

that approximately 93 percent of Americans have experienced some form of math anxiety. Math

anxiety begins to take on physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms that lead to low

academic performance in mathematics and higher avoidance of taking math courses altogether.

Math anxiety is associated with a fixed mindset. Prodigy, a math game platform, describes the

fixed mindset in mathematics often being expressed by specific key phrases "can't do math, I

don't like math, math is too hard, I'll never use it in the 'real world.'" ("Overcoming math anxiety:

12 evidence-based tips that work," 2019)

Though these may seem like small obstacles, math anxiety has disastrous repercussions if

it persists. In the 2010 book Learning to Love Math, California-based neurologist and former

middle school teacher Dr. Judy Willis examines how math anxiety impacts working memory.

(Willis, 2010) Working memory is our short-term memory that becomes part of our long-term

memory through practice and repetition. Students with math anxiety have a more active

amygdala, the part of the brain involved in processing negative emotions and stimuli. The active

amygdala caused the working memory to be less active and only processing negative emotions

while learning the content area.

It is virtually uncontested that math phobia is real and persists in our schools, but what

educators need to look at is eliminating it. With a growing push in education to teach

social-emotional learning, integrating those standards in conjunction with mathematical

standards could be the way to solve this psychological problem. The Committee for Children
 Wright 4

defines the explicit social-emotional learning pedagogy as the "The process of developing the

self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life

success." (Committee for Children, 2020). Though targeted to help with the student's

psychological well-being, a meta analysis by Child Development, a journal that has published

articles, essays, reviews, and tutorials on various topics in child development since 1930,

concluded positive impacts on academic achievement as well. (Taylor et al., 2017) This

meta-analysis reviewed 82 school-based, universal social and emotional learning interventions

involving 97,406 kindergarten to high school students. The study evaluated the impacts of social

and emotional learning on student performance and found an average 13 percent increase in

academic achievement with social and emotional learning. This paper will demonstrate why the

explicit social-emotional learning pedagogy, the practice of teaching social-emotional learning

skills in school, Could

A study done by Frontiers in Psychology, a peer-reviewed open-access academic journal,

investigated the effects of social-emotional competency on pupils' mathematical academic

achievement. (Yang, 2019) They hypothesized the improvement of Social Emotional Learning

programs could lead to measurable and potentially long-lasting enhancements in many areas of

children's lives. Participants were 7106 fourth-grade and fifth-grade students in western China.

Participants took a background questionnaire for 40 minutes, testing them in reading,

mathematics, and science tests, respectively. The test measured social, emotional competence,

academic emotions and attitudes, teacher, student, and peer relationships, and compared that with

academic achievement. The study found social-emotional competence was positively related to

all academic achievement, all learning interests, all teacher-student relationships, social

preference, and social impact and was negatively associated with mathematics anxiety. These
 Wright 5

findings highlighted the importance of social-emotional competency programs in mathematics to

generate academic improvement in mathematics. This study paved the way for implementing

social-emotional learning in schools.

A study done by the Journal of Educational Research evaluated a pilot program of

intensive algebra that incorporated researched-based instruction of algebra content with

social-emotional learning standards. (Tidd et al., 2016) The article describes algebra as a

foundational subject for higher mathematics, yet the failure rates in algebra I remain high in

many places across the country, often reaching 50%. Failure in grade 9, when the subject is

typically taken, is linked to high drop out rates. But the issue among these students was not IQ. It

was motivation claiming, "Many students have difficulty in school not because they are

incapable of performing successfully, but because they are incapable of believing that they can

perform successfully." These findings led to the creation of intensive algebra that combined the

cognitive, academic content with noncognitive teaching. One group was given the intensified

algebra program while the control group received regular algebra instruction for that school. The

findings indicated that the experimental group scores two-and-a-half times higher on the end of

course assessment than those in the control group.

This study described how the pilot intensified algebra program incorporated numerous

techniques for integrating social-emotional learning in the classroom. This program focused on

teaching the malleability of intelligence, metacognition coupled with goal setting, and building

self-efficacy in students to lead to productive persistence. The malleability of intelligence focus

on teaching students being good at math is not a trait you are born with is acquired through skill

learning in practice. This program recommends teaching the malleability of intelligence through

text, interpretive visualization, and discussion. Educators of this program practiced putting time
 Wright 6

aside to have students express their feelings towards the subject area. They brought in sources

that teach the students about the power of mathematics practice. Having individualized lessons

on the topic reinforces the idea that success is achieved through effort, not talent. This type of

teaching helps explicitly underserved students improve academically in all subjects. Their second

method is integrating social-emotional learning involving goal setting and teaching

metacognition. Metacognition is the practice of evaluating what you're thinking. Students talked

to take a step back when using negative language against themselves during a mathematics

course. For example, instead of stating, "I can't factor." students who will be trained to say, "I

haven't mastered the skill of factoring yet." This reinforces a growth mindset and subconsciously

forces the students to set goals for themselves in mathematics. Building self-efficacy in students

relies more on the Educators than it does on the students. Building up student self-esteem

through positive, specific praise increases students' interest in the subject leading to more

confidence and leads to better scores. The way we speak to our students molds their feelings of

self-belief, and this program takes that into account, leading to increased academic performance.

To pave the way for explicit social-emotional pedagogy, educators must know the

strategies for the most effective ways of incorporating social-emotional learning in mathematics

instruction. The American Secondary Education, a journal focused on helping administrators,

teachers, and researchers in middle and high school education through research, conducted a

literature review of previous studies to find effective strategies of combining Social Emotional

Learning Standards in secondary mathematics instruction. (Konishi & Wong, 2018) They

concluded the three best ways to integrate social learning are to refine lesson planning to create

meaningful experiences, establish a conducive class environment, and allow time for reflection.

The authors found social Emotional Learning in Mathematics must be taught explicitly,
 Wright 7

performed with feedback, and integrated with real-life scenarios. As seen in the pilot intensified

algebra program study, taking the time to teach social-emotional skills proved effective in

increasing math scores, and other studies have found similar results. Social-Emotional Learning

is suggested to be reinforced by implementing cooperative learning. Collaboration allows for the

practice of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that encourage students to ask for help and rely

on each other when academically challenged through feedback with each other. After students

engaged in collaborative discovery, they are brought back with the teacher to connect what they

are learning to real-life application to create meaningful experiences related to their daily lives.

Establishing a conducive classroom environment has led to better-managed classrooms, more

assignments completed, and better student scores. Getting to know your students, establishing

open and honest communication, and incorporating discussions that are non-subject based in the

classroom are key to making a conducive classroom environment. Reflection sets a place for

goal setting in the classroom. The publication commenced having students take part in

self-assessment of their work to develop a growth mindset in math class.

Though math phobia is still prevalent in most people's lives, explicit social-emotional

learning is a proven way to combat this form of anxiety. Teachers need to incorporate

social-emotional support in their classrooms to ensure students have the necessary tools to

succeed in mathematics. For years, mathematics has been seen as a rigorous subject that people

can either pick up and understand or struggle within a void. You will seldom hear an adult say, "I

can't read," but you will frequently hear an adult say, "I can't do the math." This idea of math

being a talent, not a skill, is so ingrained in our culture that often students will give up on

themselves and their mathematical abilities at first sight of an academic challenge. Educators
 Wright 8

must give their students the tools to succeed in mathematics, and explicit social-emotional

learning pedagogy is the way to do so.

 Wright 9

References

Blazer, C. (2011). Strategies for Reducing Math Anxiety. Information Capsule Research
Services, 1102.

Committee for Children. (2020, April 23). What is social-emotional learning?

https://www.cfchildren.org/what-is-social-emotional-learning/

Konishi, C., & Wong, T. K. (2018). Relationships and school success: From a social-emotional
learning perspective. Health and Academic Achievement.
https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.75012

Overcoming math anxiety: 12 evidence-based tips that work. (2019).

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/math-anxiety/

Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth
development through school-based social and emotional learning interventions: A meta-analysis
of follow-up effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156-1171. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12864

Tidd, S. T., Stoelinga, T. M., Bush-Richards, A. M., De Sena, D. L., & Dwyer, T. J. (2016). An
intensification approach to double-block algebra: A pilot implementation of intensified algebra
in a large urban school district. The Journal of Educational Research, 111(1), 95-107.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2016.1209454

Willis, J. (2010). Learning to love math: Teaching strategies that change student attitudes and get
results. ASCD.

Yang, Z. (2019). Students' social-emotional competency and mathematics academic

development: A clustering analysis on China. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.01.1