1

A Teacher’s Perspective on the Impact of Using SEL Learning,

Specifically in Relation to the Zones of Regulations, on First Grade Student

Behavior and Academic Progress

Tessa Ryan

Framingham State University

EDUC 999 Research and Evaluation

Instructor: Pamela J. Bretschneider, PhD

May 2, 2022
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Abstract

This research sought to obtain teacher perspectives on the impact of social emotional learning
(SEL) on Grade 1 academic progress and behavior, particularly in relation to the Zones of
Regulations. This research was conducted from March 2022 to April 2022 at Pine Hill
Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Participants included five educators who teach
Grades K-2. Among these educators, three were Grade 1 teachers, one was a Grade 2 teacher,
and one was a special education teacher who specializes in Grades K-2. Educators were all
females who had between 2 and 21 years of experience as a classroom educator.

A teacher questionnaire was administered to the five participants in March 2022. This was the
primary data collection tool. Had there been time, a second method of data collection would have
included interviews with special educators from the Dover-Sherborn School District who have
experience implementing social emotional learning (SEL) and the Zones of Regulations. Had
there been time, a third method of data collection would have included focus groups with
educators from the Dover-Sherborn School District. All participants completed and submitted the
teacher questionnaire.

Teachers indicated that SEL in the classroom has a positive impact on both students’ academic
progress and behavior. Social emotional learning is frequently used in classrooms at Pine Hill
Elementary School, even though data collected concluded that educators have minimal training
in SEL and the Zones of Regulations. The teachers expressed that through using SEL at Pine Hill
Elementary School, students are learning to identify their feelings, regulate their emotions, form
relationships, and build confidence through SEL, thereby resulting in positive behaviors.
Similarly, the teachers expressed that because students are feeling safer in the classroom through
the implementation of SEL, their academic progress has increased. The results of this research
also showed that four out of five educators noticed a positive impact due to the implementation
of the Zones of Regulation, and three out of five educators noticed it having a positive impact on
academic progress. Other educators did not implement the Zones of Regulation enough to
determine either a positive or negative impact. Due to the time limitations and the small scale of
this research, further research would need to be done to investigate the impact of the Zones of
Regulations implementation.

Key Words: social emotional learning, Implementation of SEL, Zones of Regulations,

academic progress, positive behaviors, teacher perspective, special education, emotions,
relationships, confidence
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Table of Contents

I. Introduction Page 4

II. Literature Review Page 6

III. Methodology Page 10

IV. Results and Discussion Page 15

V. Implications and Future Research Page 21

VI. References Page 23

VII. Appendix A Page 26

VIII. Appendix B Page 27

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Learning in a first-grade classroom begins with feeling safe and comfortable first and

learning academic material second. First-grade students have many feelings and emotions that

they need to learn how to navigate and express before they can begin to learn new academics.

The classroom becomes a community for these students. In their community, it is important that

they feel seen, heard, and have the tools that they need to express themselves in an effective

manner. Therefore, it is crucial that educators also teach their students social and emotional

learning as well as academic learning.

Due to the COVID pandemic that began in March of 2020, there has been a major shift in

student behavior and academic progress. Two years of student learning was spent online or in a

hybrid model, causing many students to fall behind not just academically, but socially. Students

who were familiar with learning collaboratively in a classroom environment were now isolated

from their friends, teachers, and their school. Similarly, many of their relationships inside and

outside of the classroom were altered because of the school closures. This isolation caused a

disconnect for students in relationships, emotions, and social behaviors. Students cannot begin to

learn new academic content until they feel comfortable in a classroom setting again.

My interests in student social and emotional behavior began because of my position at the

school in which I teach. I am a first-grade educational assistant to three classrooms. As an

educational assistant, I often contribute to the social and emotional learning of my students. Due

to my position in the school, I am the only educator who is consistently with the students during

lunch and recess. Therefore, I can observe many of their social interactions with classmates

during these non-academic times, as well as in the classrooms. A dramatic shift has been seen in

the behaviors of students this year compared to students in previous years. Students currently

enrolled in first grade have never experienced “normal” or “pre-pandemic” schooling. When the
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pandemic started, students currently enrolled in first grade were in preschool. These students

have little memory of life before COVID learning. Thus, current students have many gaps in

their social and emotional learning that my district is trying to fill by implementing social

emotional learning, such as the Zones of Regulations.

Therefore, the question I have designed to research is: From a teacher’s perspective, what

are the benefits of using SEL learning, specifically in relation to the Zones of Regulations, on

first grade student behavior and academic progress? This question led to the following sub

questions:

1. How is social emotional learning (SEL) defined?

2. What are the Zones of Regulation?

3. What are the current ways social emotional learning and the Zones of Regulation are

being used in first-grade classrooms?

4. In what training in social emotional learning have teachers participated?

5. How is the effectiveness of social emotional learning assessed?

6. How many first-grade students participate in social emotional learning?

This research will benefit educators who work with first-grade students, or students of a

lower-elementary level. Through this research, first-grade educators will gain insight as to the

specific benefits that social emotional learning and the Zones of Regulations have on students

from a teacher perspective. This research will also be helpful for educators who are seeking to

implement more social emotional learning into their classroom after the COVID pandemic. With

the COVID pandemic continuing to change student learning every day, teachers who are

working with younger students will be seeking new strategies or ideas to aid students in reaching

their academic and social goals.

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Literature Review

There have been conversations in the published literature about the implementation of

social emotional learning (SEL) in classrooms long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the

pandemic, conversations on the importance of SEL have increased. The COVID-19 pandemic

brought along many challenges with it, including drastic changes in education for students.

Students had to abruptly transition away from the familiar in-person learning to completely

online, remote learning.

COVID-19's effects on student social and emotional well-being and academic growth are

ones that are still being discovered (Zieher et al., 2021). As stated by Raffaele et al. (2021),

distance learning caused students to experience difficulty with social cues and attentional

demands. Due to these challenging times, some educators have turned to SEL practices in their

classrooms to provide support to themselves and their students (Zieher et al., 2021). Therefore,

incorporating social and emotional learning is a way for students to readjust to a traditional

learning environment (Raffaele et al., 2021). Zieher et al. (2021) states that due to the pandemic

and the need to increase relationships and social and emotional skill development in schools,

“SEL can serve as a useful framework and set of strategies to promote healthy management of

emotions to support the wellness of educators and students alike” (p. 390).

CASEL (2021a) defines SEL as “the process through which all young people and adults

acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage

emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish

and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” (para. 1).

CASEL is a framework established in 1994 that aims to make SEL an essential part of school

curriculums (CASEL, 2021b). CASEL (2021b) was founded on the question, “What if education
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fully supported the social, emotional, and academic development of all children?” (para. 1).

Considering this integral question, educators and researchers who prioritized social and

emotional learning collaborated to create the CASEL framework (CASEL, 2021b).

Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible

decision-making combine to help form the process of SEL (CASEL, 2020). Self-awareness

encompasses a student’s ability to understand their own thought process, emotions, behaviors,

and values (CASEL, 2020). Self-management refers to a student's ability to regulate their own

emotions and execute effective coping strategies (CASEL, 2020). Social awareness is a student’s

ability to empathize with others of similar and diverse backgrounds (CASEL, 2020).

Relationship skills pertain to a student’s capability to form and maintain relationships (CASEL,

2020). Finally, responsible decision-making is when the student can effectively problem-solve in

diverse social situations (CASEL, 2020). In addition, according to Schonert-Reichl, et al. (2017),

SEL also aims to teach students essential 21st century learning skills including collaboration,

communication, problem solving, and critical thinking.

These areas of SEL are often excluded from United States academic curriculum.

Schonert-Reichl et al. (2017) discovered through research findings that out of the 50 states, only

27 states addressed four or five of CASEL’S core competence areas. It was found that three

states did not mention any of the core competence areas (Schonert-Reichl et al., 2017).

According to Schonert-Reichl et al. (2017), many states that included the CASEL core

competence areas included “responsible decision making (42 states), relationship skills (40

states), and self-management (37 states) in their teacher certification requirements” (p. 8).

Schonert-Reichl et al. (2017) and CASEL (2021b) refer to SEL as the “missing piece” (p.

5 & para. 9) of learning, because emphasis is placed on academic curriculum when students also
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need to feel nurtured, safe, and secure to be successful in school. Research shows that students

who acquire SEL skills “get along better with others, do better in school, and have more

successful careers and better mental and physical health as adults” (Jones et al., 2017, p. 49).

According to CASEL (2020) if students were to participate in SEL programs, “27% more

students would improve their academic performance at the end of the program and 24% more

would have improved social behaviors and lower levels of distress” (para. 6). Similarly, Taylor

et al. (2017), found that fostering social and emotional skills in the classroom helped by

“improving skills, positive attitudes, prosocial behavior, and academic performance” (p. 1166).

One common goal of SEL implementation throughout the published literature is

improvements to student behavior. In a study by Jones et al. (2017), 11 widely used social and

emotional school programs were analyzed. It is expected that by implementing social and

emotional skills into the classroom, student behavior will produce positive outcomes such as

lowering depression, anxiety, and aggression amongst students (Jones et al., 2017). According to

Jones et al. (2017), results of the impact on student behavior were mixed but “many of the

programs that improved behavioral outcomes first targeted developmental relevant processes and

cognitions, showing the value of connecting theory, program approaches, and outcomes” (p. 59).

Second Step is a widely used SEL program. Both Cook et al. (2018) and Low et al.

(2019), discovered in their research on the Second Step SEL program that a significant outcome

in student behavior could not be seen within only a two-year research period. Low et al. (2019),

concluded that this social and emotional program was “more beneficial in reducing rather than

preventing problem behaviors” (p. 430) and “most gains declined during the summer” (p. 430).

SEL programs that saw positive results in student behavior were The Peace Program and

PATHS intervention. Voith et al. (2020) concluded that Grade 1 students benefited from The
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Peace Program the most in terms of positive outcomes of student behavior “with decreased

aggression scores, and the largest gains in attention/concentration and emotional competence

scores over time” (p. 337). Similarly, Calhoun et al. (2020) found that “children who received

the PATHS intervention showed significantly greater improvement than children in the control

group” in areas such as “aggression, internalizing, total social competence, emotion regulation,

and prosocial behavior” (para. 34).

In research studies, improvements in academic progress are generally discussed with

SEL implementation. Cook et al. (2018), found no significant gains in academic progress when

implementing the Second Step program. Cook et al. (2018), theorized that “SEL programs may

have more beneficial effects for early elementary students with typical or above academic skills

and thus social– emotional skills enable them to better profit from their learning experiences” (p.

569). Conversely, a study was done by MacDonnell et al. (2021) in which a Social-Emotional

and Character Development (SECD) approach was used with middle school students to examine

the relationship between the program and student academic achievement. This study

(MacDonnell et al., 2021) concluded that “SECD reflection was predicative of academic

achievement, which supports findings from prior studies demonstrating the positive relationship

between SECD competencies and academic performance in low-income areas” (p. 11).

The Zones of Regulation is a framework and curriculum that helps students self-regulate

emotions by separating emotions and feelings into 4 zones: red, green, blue, and yellow

(Kuypers, 2017). When a student is in the red zone, they might be overjoyed, angry, panicked, or

terrified. When a student is in the green zone, they are happy, focused, calm, and proud. The

green zone is when students are ready to learn. When a student is in the yellow zone, they are

worried, frustrated, silly, or excited. Lastly, when a student is in the blue zone, they might be sad,
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bored, tired, or sick (Kuypers, 2017). The Zones of Regulation, created by Leah Kuyper, aims to

support positive SEL for students through these zones.

In conclusion, research has indicated that SEL practices in the curriculum help students in

many positive ways. Research has indicated that SEL allows students to regulate their emotions,

build problem-solving skills, build and maintain relationships, and feel safe in their learning

environment. The research studies often predicted that SEL implementation would improve

student behavior and academic progress and achievement. While there are studies that prove SEL

is a factor for promoting positive student behaviors, studies often failed to prove that SEL greatly

impacts academic performance among students. Research repeatedly indicated that it is difficult

to see notable academic progress because the scope of the studies is often too short in its’ length.

Overall, the research has indicated a push towards SEL due to the COVID-19 pandemic that

emerged in 2020 to fill in the social and academic gaps that the pandemic created for students.

Methodology

The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of using SEL and the Zones of

Regulations in the classroom. The researcher aims to learn how SEL, and the Zones of

Regulations, impacts student academic progress and behavior. Data was collected from educators

who have current or former experience teaching Grade 1 students at Pine Hill Elementary School

in Sherborn, Massachusetts. The research design includes three methods of data collection, but

due to time, only one will be used. The first method is a questionnaire that will be distributed

virtually through Google Forms to Grade 1 educators at Pine Hill. The second method, had there

been time, would have been interviews with educators from the Dover-Sherborn School District

who have experience implementing social emotional learning (SEL) and the Zones of
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Regulations. The third method, had there been time, would have been focus groups with various

educators from the Dover-Sherborn School District.

Participants

All participants in this research work for Sherborn Public Schools. The Town of

Sherborn, Massachusetts, is a part of Middlesex County and located 18 miles southwest of

Boston (About Sherborn, 2020). 50% of Sherborn’s total land area is open space, according to

the Official Website of the Town of Sherborn (2020). According to the Census Reporter (2019),

Sherborn has a total population of 4,316. According to this report, the medium household income

for the town of Sherborn is $198,681. The Town of Sherborn has a is 88% White, 6% Asian, 2%

Hispanic, and 1% Black.

The Dover-Sherborn Regional School District includes one high school (Grades 9-12),

one middle school (Grades 6-8), and two elementary schools, (Grades PK-5). The total

enrollment for Grades PK-12 is 2,052 students. In grades PK-12, there are a total of 177 teachers

employed. The Dover-Sherborn District is 72.2% white, 11.5% African American, and 6.4%

Hispanic (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2021b).

Participants in this research work for Pine Hill Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Pine Hill Elementary School has a total enrollment of 403 students for the 2021-2022 school

year. The school population is 77.4% white, 8.4% Asian, and 7.4% Multi-Race/Non-Hispanic

(Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2021c).

Research participants in this study are all current educators at Pine Hill Elementary

School. There will be a total of five educators in this study: three first grade teachers, one former

first grade teacher, and a special education teacher. One first-grade teacher has over 20 years'

experience and the other two have 5 years' experience. The former first-grade teacher has over 20
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years' experience and is currently teaching second-grade. The special education teacher works

with students Grades K-2. All participants are female. These individuals were chosen because of

their experience with implementing SEL into Grade 1 classrooms. There will be five

participants.

Procedure

Before conducting research on the impacts of SEL and the Zones of Regulations on

Grade 1 student behavior and academic progress, the researcher will obtain written consent from

the School Principal of Pine Hill Elementary School. The researcher will distribute a formal

letter of consent to the Principal of Pine Hill Elementary School to request permission to conduct

this research (see Appendix A) and to provide a summary of the purpose of the research study.

The School Principal will sign and return the letter of consent to the researcher before the

research study commences.

Teacher questionnaires will be distributed to participants via email, in which the

researcher will describe the purpose of research and provide an expected return date for

responses. It will be stated on the Google Form that participation is voluntary. Therefore, a

submission of the questionnaire implies consent from the participant.

Some participants may be reluctant to provide honest responses to questions if they feel

that responses differ from the teaching and philosophy of Pine Hill Elementary School.

Similarly, participants may be reluctant to provide honest responses to questions if they feel that

responses go against the beliefs of their co-teachers. To avoid difficulty, the researcher will

assure that there is complete confidentiality in teacher questionnaire responses. This research

will be conducted over a period of 15 weeks, causing limitations for research.

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Data Collection

Teacher Questionnaire

This researcher will develop and administer a questionnaire on Google Forms. The

rationale behind this method is that the researcher will be able to gain insight into how social

emotional learning (SEL) is taught in the classroom and how SEL is impacting first-grade

student behavior and academic progress. This questionnaire will be distributed to educators at

Pine Hill Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts. These educators will include three

first-grade teachers, one former first-grade teacher who now teaches second grade, and the

special education teacher who works with first-grade students. These educators all have

experience implementing SEL and the Zones of Regulations into their classrooms. This method

will be an efficient method of data collection, by requesting teachers to respond to questions at a

time that is convenient for them. Questions on the Google Form will be open ended, allowing

educators to expand on their responses. A date of submission will be provided to educators.

Sample questions may include: How is SEL incorporated in your classroom? How often do you

implement SEL into lessons?

The information gathered from the teacher questionnaire will be used to gain a teacher

perspective of the impact of SEL for student behavior and academic progress. The researcher

will code data results by perspectives held of SEL, looking for common perspectives, phrases,

and ideas of participants. The researcher will categorize the information presented in

questionnaire responses by emerging trends and themes. Depending on results, a table will be

developed that outlines shared perspectives of SEL from participants, as well as a table outlining

SEL strategies used in the classrooms.

Teacher Interviews
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Had there been time, the researcher would have conducted interviews with special

educators from the Dover-Sherborn School District who have experience implementing social

emotional learning (SEL) and the Zones of Regulations. Special educators would be from Pine

Hill Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts, and Chickering Elementary School in

Dover, Massachusetts. The rationale behind this method would have been to gain insight as to

how SEL and the Zones of Regulations have impacted first-grade students who receive special

education services’ behavior and academic progress. The researcher would also gain knowledge

as to how SEL is implemented into special education classrooms and how to incorporate SEL

into lessons. A consent form would have been sent to special educators before the interviews

were conducted. An interview protocol would have been followed with open-ended questions,

allowing for a natural dialogue to occur. Interviews would have been conducted in the educator’s

classroom before school, after school, or during the educator’s prep block.

Teacher Focus Groups

Had there been time, the researcher would have conducted focus groups with educators

from the Dover-Sherborn School District. This would be a larger pool than the one included in

the questionnaire. Educators would have included first-grade teachers, K-2 special education

teachers, occupational therapists, and school counselors, all of whom are included in SEL

processes in first-grade classrooms. The rationale behind this focus group is that the researcher

would be able to hear educators’ SEL classroom strategies and implementations in a discussion-

based manner. From the discussion, the researcher would be able to note how educators

implement SEL (if they do) and the impact they have noticed from SEL in their rooms. The

researcher would be able to gain different insights as to how SEL has impacted students, both in

student behavior and academics. The researcher would develop and utilize a focus group
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protocol. The researcher would have administered consent forms to educators, giving a summary

of the purpose of the focus groups. There would have been two focus groups. Both focus groups

would have included two first-grade teachers, one special education teacher, one occupational

therapist, and one school counselor. The researcher would have included educators from Pine

Hill Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts and Chickering Elementary School in Dover,

Massachusetts, in both groups.

Results and Discussion

The goal of this research was to explore the impact of implementing SEL practices into

the curriculum. The expertise of general and special educators of Grade 1 students was sought in

order to obtain perspectives and understandings of how SEL impacts Grade 1 student academic

progress and behavior. To gain these perspectives, a questionnaire was sent to five educators via

email using Google Forms on March 22, 2022. Participants were given 10 days to complete the

questionnaire. A week after the questionnaire was administered, the researcher sent a second

email to remind participants about the deadline of submission. All five participants submitted

responses by the deadline. The teacher questionnaire was divided into three sections to allow

participants to reflect on various aspects of the research question. The three sections included: (a)

demographic information and work history, (b) social emotional learning (SEL), and (c) the

Zones of Regulations. Some participants gave thorough responses to questions asked while

others gave very minimal responses.

The first part of the questionnaire focused on gathering demographic information from

participants including grade taught, length of teaching, and length of teaching in the Dover

Sherborn school district. The teachers who participated in this research were both general and

special education teachers who have experience with Grade 1 students. Of the five participants,
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three were Grade 1 general classroom teachers. Of the five participants, one was a former Grade

1 general education teacher who currently teaches Grade 2. Of the five participants, one was a K-

2 special education teacher. The education experience of the participants ranged from 2 to 21

years. Of the five participants, three had less than 5 years' experience teaching. The participants'

total of years teaching at Pine Hill Elementary School in Sherborn, Massachusetts ranged from 2

to 18 years. Another question asked in the first part of the questionnaire is what training

participants have in SEL. Of the five participants, one said they have received no training in

SEL. Of the five participants, two were trained in Open Circle and Responsive Classroom. There

was one participant who said their only training in SEL was with the SEL specialist and

Occupational Therapist (OT) at Pine Hill Elementary School. There was one participant who

worked in a therapeutic school for three years where they had training in social emotional

support such as the Zones of Regulations and Social Thinking.

The second section of the questionnaire focused on SEL including what SEL looks like in

the participant’s classrooms, the impacts of SEL that participants have noticed on student

academic behavior and progress, and challenges for teachers and students. The first part of the

second section focused on what SEL looks like in the participant’s classroom. Of the five

participants, all five said that they include growth mindset in their classrooms. The

implementation of growth mindset was in the form of social lunch groups, whole-class lessons,

books on growth mindset in classroom libraries, and using growth mindset language. Of the five

participants, four said they have a calming corner in their classroom. There were three

participants who said that they use the Zones of Regulations in their classrooms, such as having a

“check-in” bulletin board where students move their name to the color zone they are in. Of the

five participants, four mentioned a time in the day where they can “check-in” with students about
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how they are feeling. These check-ins were either during morning meetings, during open share

time, open circle discussions, or through daily greetings. Teachers were also asked, on a scale of

1 to 5, how often they implement SEL into their classroom. The results showed that 60% of

participants responded with a 5 and 40% of participants responded with a 4. Participants were

asked to select which parts of the daily schedule they implement aspects of SEL in. Results

varied (Figure 1). SEL was shown to be incorporated into Morning Meeting, Reading Workshop,

and Math Workshop the most.

Figure 1: SEL Implementation During the Daily Schedule

The second part of section two asked participants to reflect upon how SEL impacts

student behavior and academic progress. Of five participants, all participants agreed that SEL has

a positive impact on student behavior. There was one participant who said the only negative

impact on student behavior SEL has is that some students feel “too comfortable” and start to

exhibit behaviors they might only use at home. All five participants provided feedback on the

ways SEL has had a positive impact on student behavior in their classroom (Figure 2). The most

common answer that participants gave was that SEL allows students to feel safe in the
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classroom. Participants expressed that students feel safer when they know that their needs are

being met and listened to. Participants explained that when students have this feeling of safety,

they can be the best student they can be.

Figure 2: Different Ways SEL has had a Positive Impact on Student Behavior

Ways Listed by Participants Percentage of Participants

Allows students to feel safe 100%

Making connections 80%

Strategies to navigate feelings 60%

Allows students to identify feelings 60%

Allows students to build confidence 60%

Promotes collaboration 20%

Learn problem solving skills 20%

Form and maintain relationships 20%

The participants all agreed that SEL implementation has a positive impact on student academic

progress. There was one participant who said the only negative impact on student academic

progress SEL has is that some students will take excessive breaks or “fake” feelings of anxiety to

get out of doing work. All five participants provided feedback on the ways SEL has had a

positive impact on student academic progress in their classroom (Figure 3). Most teachers who

completed the questionnaire had similar responses to the ways SEL has had a positive impact on

student behavior as well as academic progress. Participants expressed that because SEL provides

the tools students need to regulate their emotions, they can come back to learning better prepared

and engaged. There was one participant who said that “it’s all inward to outward,” meaning that

when students are ready to learn they can produce and show appropriate feelings.

Figure 3: Different Ways SEL has had a Positive Impact on Student Academic Progress
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Ways Listed by Participants Percentage of Participants

Allows students to feel safe 100%

Feel more comfortable sharing 80%

Take pride in their learning 80%

More confident in their work 60%

Allows students to pay closer attention 60%

Allows students to build confidence 60%

Promotes collaboration 20%

Learn problem solving skills 20%

Form and maintain relationships 20%

The third part of section two focused on the challenges of SEL implementation for

teachers and students. Of the five participants, all of them said that finding time for

implementing SEL is the most challenging part. There was one teacher who said there are so

many academic expectations put on both the teacher and students that it makes it hard to find

time in the day solely for SEL. Similarly, there was one teacher who said that they wish there

was one block a week dedicated to SEL. All five participants had various responses as to the

challenges of SEL implementation for students. Some of those challenges included: Learning

how and when to use various SEL tools, being open to sharing, admitting they need help, and not

overgeneralizing.

The third section of the questionnaire asked participants about implementing the Zones of

Regulations in their classrooms. The participants were asked, on a scale of 1 to 5, how often they

implement the Zones of Regulations into their classroom (Figure 4). The five participants

provided many ways that they implement the Zones of Regulations into their classrooms

including through visuals, discussions, whole-group lessons, lessons with the SEL teacher who is
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trained in the Zones of Regulations, and “check-in” boards for students. When asked how the

Zones of Regulations can impact student behavior, four participants said that it positively

impacts student behavior by allowing students the tools to recognize and regulate their feelings.

There was one teacher who said they do not use it enough to see a major impact in student

behavior. When asked how the Zones of Regulations can impact student academic progress,

three participants said that they do not implement it enough to see a noticeable impact on student

academic progress. There were two participants who said that because of the Zones of

Regulation, students have strategies to get themselves back into the “learning ready” zone.

Figure 4: Zones of Regulations Implementation

In summary, teacher participants largely agreed that implementing SEL into the

curriculum and daily school schedule led to positive impacts in both student behavior and student

academic progress. All participants teach in a school district where SEL is very prominent. In the

halls and classrooms of all grade levels, visuals of SEL can be seen. In Pine Hill Elementary

School’s school mission statement, creating a sense of community and a friendly atmosphere are

essential core values to the school. However, most participants received minimal training in SEL.
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All five educators said that they implement SEL into the classroom. All five participants had

diverse ways of implementing SEL into the classroom, such as through morning meeting

discussions, calming corners, flexible seating, read alouds, behavior plans, and whole-class

lessons on growth mindset. Many teachers highlighted that they did not use the Zones of

Regulations enough to see a noticeable impact on student behavior and academic progress. The

results of this study show that the implementation of social emotional learning (SEL) into the

school curriculum can provide students with tools and strategies that will lead to positive impacts

in both student behavior and student academic progress.

Implications and Further Research

After summarizing the data, participants felt that implementing SEL into Grade 1

curriculum had a positive impact on both student behavior and academic progress. Teachers felt

that if students feel safe and have the tools they need to regulate their emotions, they will be

ready to learn. There is a clear indication from the five participants of this study that integrating

SEL into the daily schedule helps build confidence in students, maintain and form relationships,

feel safe in the classroom, regulate emotions, and allows students to build problem solving skills.

In turn, these educators have indicated that because of these skills students are building, positive

impacts will follow.

This research included a small sample size of educators from a singular school. It would

be beneficial for future research to expand this study to more participants in the state of

Massachusetts who have experience working with Grade 1 students in relation to SEL

implementation. Due to the small sample size, responses were extremely limited. On multiple

questions, participants provided very minimal feedback. A larger sample size would ensure that

more detailed feedback would be submitted. It would also be beneficial to expand this study to
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educators who have more experience and training with implementing the Zones of Regulations.

The five participants in this study gave very minimal feedback for how they implement the

Zones of Regulations in their classroom, and many expressed how they did not implement it

enough to see noticeable impacts to student behavior and academic progress.

Even though this research did lead to valuable results, further research could be done.

Various SEL programs and their impacts could be researched to conclude which programs have

the most growth in student behavior and academic progress. Further research could also be done

on the implementation of the Zones of Regulations with educators who actively use the zones in

their classrooms. Further research could also be conducted on SEL impacts across different grade

levels to see if there is a student age group that benefits more than another. Lastly, additional

research conducted on SEL in the classroom could help educators discover even more strategies

and programs to implement in order to improve student behavior and academic progress.
 23

References

Calhoun, B., Williams, J., Greenberg, M., Domitrovich, C., Russell, M. A., Fishbein, D. H.,

(2020). Social emotional learning program boosts early social and behavioral skills in

low-income urban children. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.or

g/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.561196

CASEL. (2020). CASEL’S SEL Framework. https://casel.org/casel-sel-framework-11-2020/

CASEL. (2021a). Fundamentals of SEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

CASEL. (2021b). Our history. https://casel.org/about-us/our-history/

Census Reporter. (2019). Sherborn town, Middlesex County, MA. https://censusreporter.org

/profiles/06000US2501761380-sherborn-town-middlesex-county-ma/

Cook, C. R., Low, S., Buntain-Ricklefs, J., Whitaker, K., Pullmann, M. D., & Lally, J. (2018).

Evaluation of “Second Step” on Early Elementary Students’ Academic Outcomes: A

Randomized Controlled Trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(4), 561–572.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spq0000233

Jones, S. M., Barnes, S. P., Bailey, R., & Doolittle, E. J. (2017). Promoting social and emotional

competencies in elementary school. The Future of Children, 27(1), 49-72.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44219021

Kuypers, L. (2017). Learn more about the zones. The Zones of Regulation.

https://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html

Low, S., Smolkowski, K., Cook, C., & Desfosses, D. (2019). Two-Year Impact of a Universal

Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum: Group Differences from Developmentally

Sensitive Trends over Time. Developmental Psychology, 55(2), 415–433.

https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000621
 24

MacDonnell, M., McClain, K., Ganguli, A., & Elias, M. J. (2021). It’s Not All or Nothing:

Exploring the Impact of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Intervention in

the Middle Grades. RMLE Online: Research in Middle Level Education, 44(2).

https://doaj.org/article/5fad414a7531451fb4196cde41d7b519

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2021a). School and

district profiles: Dover, Massachusetts. https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/

general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=00780000&orgtypecode=5

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2021b). School and

district profiles: Dover-Sherborn, Massachusetts. https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/

general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=00780000&orgtypecode=5

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2021c). School and

district profiles: Sherborn, Massachusetts. https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general

/general.aspx? topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=02690000&orgtypecode=5

Raffaele, C. T., Khosravi, P., Parker, A., Godovich, S., Rich, B., & Adleman, N. (2021). Social–

Emotional Attention in School-Age Children: A Call for School-Based Intervention

during COVID-19 and Distance Learning. Children & Schools, 43(2), 107–117.

https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdab010

Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Kitil, M. J., & Hanson-Peterson, J. (2017). To Reach the Students,

Teach the Teachers: A National Scan of Teacher Preparation and Social and Emotional

Learning. A Report Prepared for CASEL (ED582029). ERIC. https://eric.ed. g

ov/d=ED582029

Sherborn Massachusetts. (2020). About Sherborn. https://www.sherbornma.org/about-sherborn

 25

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

Voith, L. A., Yoon, S., Topitzes, J., & Brondino, M. J. (2020). A Feasibility Study of a School-

Based Social Emotional Learning Program: Informing Program Development and

Evaluation. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 37(3), 329–342.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00634-7

Zieher, A. K., Cipriano, C., Meyer, J. L., & Strambler, M. J. (2021). Educators’ implementation

and use of social and emotional learning early in the COVID-19 pandemic. School

Psychology, 36(5), 388-397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spq0000461

 26

Appendix A

March 11, 2022

Dr. Barbara Brown

Principal, Pine Hill Elementary School
10 Pine Hill Ln
Sherborn, MA 01770

Dear Dr. Brown:

I am currently pursuing a Master’s of Education Degree at Framingham State University. As part

of my Research and Evaluation course, I have the opportunity to conduct research about how
Social Emotional Learning, in relation to the Zones of Regulations, impacts student behavior and
academic progress in the Grade 1 classrooms. I hope to be able to use what is learned from this
project to improve lesson planning and classroom management in the future.

To conduct this research, I will administer a teacher questionnaire on Google Forms to obtain
information about teacher perceptions and opinions on different approaches toward Social
Emotional Learning and the impact it has on Grade 1 students. I will conduct this research at my
school. I will analyze and discuss the information gathered in my final research paper. Teacher
and student names will not be used, and you are welcome to read the final paper upon its
completion. Participants may withdraw from the study at any time.

I respectfully request your written permission to administer teacher questions and use
questionnaire results in my research. If you have any questions or concerns that you wish to
discuss, please contact me at tryan11@student.framingham.edu or at 781-686-6643. Your
signature below indicates that you have read the above information and grant permission for me
to carry out this research and use it in my final paper. Please sign and return this consent form to
me. A copy of the signed form will be given to you for your records. Thank you for supporting
this important research project.
Sincerely,

Tessa Ryan
Educational Assistant

I grant permission for Tessa Ryan to conduct research in the form of teacher questionnaires and
analysis and for the use of results of this research in her final paper.

________________________________ ____________________________
Dr. Barbara Brown, Principal Date
 27

Appendix B

Teacher Questionnaire

I am currently obtaining a Master's in Elementary Education degree from Framingham State

University. As a part of my degree requirements, I am taking a Research and Evaluation course.
Through which I have the opportunity to conduct research on Social Emotional Learning (SEL),
the Zones of Regulations, and their impact on first grade student behavior and academic
progress. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gain information about your perspective as an
educator using SEL and the Zones of Regulation in the classroom. Participation is voluntary and
all responses will remain anonymous. Results will only be shared with the class professor. Thank
you in advance for sharing your experience!

Research Question: From a teacher’s perspective, what are the benefits of using SEL learning,
specifically in relation to the Zones of Regulations, on first grade student behavior and academic
progress?

PART I: Background Information

1. How many years have you been a teacher? ______________________

2. How many years have you been a teacher at Pine Hill? ______________________
3. What grade do you currently teach? ______________________
4. How many years have you been teaching this grade? ____________________________
5. What training, if any, have you received in SEL? ____________________________

PART II: Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

6. How do you create a sense of community in your classroom?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

7. Do you incorporate SEL into your classroom? (a) Yes (b) No

8. What does SEL look like in your classroom? (e.g. Does your classroom have a calming
corner? Do you incorporate partner/group work? Do you incorporate growth mindset? Do
you have daily check-ins for students? etc.)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

9. How often do you incorporate SEL into your classroom? (check one)
a. _____ Never
b. _____ Rarely
 28

c. _____ Sometimes
d. _____ Often
e. _____ Always

10. During what parts of the day do you incorporate SEL or SEL strategies? (check all that
apply)
a. _____ Morning Meeting
b. _____ Reading Workshop
c. _____ Phonics
d. _____ Writing Workshop
f. _____ Math Workshop
g. _____ Science
h. _____ Social Studies
i. _____ Recess
j. _____ Lunch
k. _____ Dismissal
l. _____ Snack
m. _____ Other

11. Do you feel SEL has had an impact on student behavior? (check one)
a. _____ Strongly Agree
b. _____ Agree
c. _____ Neither agree nor disagree
d. _____ Disagree
e. _____ Strongly Disagree

12. In what ways has SEL had a positive impact on student behavior?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

13. In what ways has SEL had a negative impact on student behavior?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

14. In what ways has SEL had a positive impact on student academic progress?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

15. In what ways has SEL had a negative impact on student academic progress?
_______________________________________________________________________
 29

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

16. What part of SEL implementation is challenging for you as a teacher?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

17. What part of SEL implementation is challenging for students?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

PART II: The Zones of Regulations

18. Have you implemented the Zones of Regulations in your classroom? (a) Yes (b) No

19. How often do you implement the Zones of Regulations in your classroom? (check one)
a. _____ Never
b. _____ Rarely
c. _____ Sometimes
d. _____ Often
e. _____ Always

20. How do you implement the Zones of Regulations in your classroom? (write N/A if you
do not implement)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

21. How has implementing the Zones of Regulations impacted student behavior in your
classroom? (write N/A if you do not implement)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

22. How has implementing the Zones of Regulations impacted student academic progress in
your classroom? (write N/A if you do not implement)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
 30

_______________________________________________________________________

23. Is there anything else you would like to add to assist this researcher in answering the
research question: From a teacher’s perspective, what are the benefits of using SEL
learning, specifically in relation to the Zones of Regulations, on first grade student
behavior and academic progress?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your participation!