This cross-sectional qualitative study was designed to examine the educational and professional development needs of existing entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship students in educational and professional development in Gloucester and Cumberland Counties in Southern New Jersey. The organization that sponsored the study, the Division of Business…

There are five developmental areas: gross motor, fine motor, communication, adaptive behavior, and social-emotional. If social-emotional skills are delayed, all other developmental areas are negatively impacted. Preschool-aged students are incapable of kindergarten readiness if they have a delay in social-emotional development as it impacts their…

This study sought to investigate, from an empirical standpoint, whether teacher SECs impact classroom management and their well-being. Teachers completed a questionnaire including the Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers (SSEIC) and Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL), as well as were observed…

Believe-Empathy-Wellness-Empower-Listen-Learn (BE WELL) program offers a promising replacement for traditional punitive suspensions in California schools. Amidst the over 6 million suspensions reported in 2022, this on-campus program fosters self-reflection, academic growth, and life skills within a compassionate and accepting learning…

Possessing sufficient social skills is a crucial aspect of child development. The level of social skill that a child has is a strong predictor of their future behavioral functioning and academic achievement. Due to the impact social skills have on a child's later life, having a better understanding of how to enhance social development is…

Students with autism display challenges in social communication and often require specialized instruction to learn social skills. Since social norms are an element of culture, educators must assess and select skills to teach through a cultural lens; therefore, Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is an appropriate instructional strategy. There is…

This mixed-method study examined the perceptions and lived experiences of pre-service teachers engaged in a specialized Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program at a private university in the Pacific Northwest. Through a thorough investigation guided by two primary research questions, this research aimed to examine pre-service teachers'…

In 2020, the world was forced to adjust to a new normal with the global pandemic. Every nation had to make difficult decisions to protect citizens and save their economy. Leaders of all institutions had to strategize quickly for an unknown future. Many institutions suffered, including education. Social-emotional learning addresses students'…

School readiness includes a range of competencies and is influenced by both parental beliefs and teacher perceptions. Despite its significance, only a small number of states have an established definition of school readiness, which raises questions about how well stakeholder understandings align and the effectiveness of parental activities in…

Students with autism need social skills to succeed academically, which can be fostered with the use of digital social stories (DSSs). While many special educators are expected to use DSSs to teach social skills because of increased elementary autism diagnoses, a significant number of DSS users are unprepared. The problem addressed in this…

Sleep is important for child development. Sleep problems in early childhood are associated with negative outcomes across numerous domains, including executive control, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and social competence (Astill et al., 2012; Hysing et al., 2016; Spruyt et al., 2019). Little research has focused on moderators…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how African American single mothers describe the efficacy and accessibility of afterschool enrichment programs for elementary school children from socio-economically challenged homes. This study will contribute to the gap in the literature with respect to African American single…

Persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood education has shown to be an increasing problem for rural ABC school district. Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory indicates that children learn behavior expectations by imitating others receiving positive consequences and through social norming. ABC school district is in a state that does…

The purpose of the study was to investigate how grade retention affects Black males' perspectives about education and social-emotional skills during and after their K-12 educational journey. As a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been increased discourse about our nation's current reality regarding the status of Black…

My dissertation examined the effect of adaptive prompts in virtual reality (VR) based social skills training on social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In my dissertation, adaptive prompts refer to an instructional technique to enhance social skill performance of children with ASD considering their emotional states. Despite…