Date of Award

Winter 12-9-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Cherie Gaines

Second Advisor

Julia Kirk

Third Advisor

Bethany Powers

Abstract

Despite the appropriate and high level of concern about providing high-quality core instructional practices and educating the whole child, teacher stress and inability to understand and manage emotions stood in the way of making progress. Teaching is a highly stressful profession. Researchers highlighted the need for interventions to enhance teacher abilities and promote student success, particularly in understanding social and personal competencies. The purpose of my qualitative, interpretive study was to explore elementary school teachers’ perceptions of social and personal competencies in public K-12 rural Tennessee schools to determine how schools supported teacher social and personal competencies as a way of increasing high-quality core instructional practices and about challenging classroom situations. Twelve participants completed a questionnaire to answer four research questions. From my research question responses, I identified themes of self-reflection; communication; relationship building; instructional practices; and teacher training and preparedness. All 12 teachers identified their social and personal competency skills through self-reflection, with daily morning meetings serving as a key platform for promoting Social and Personal Competencies. Six teachers actively engaged with students during outdoor playtime, fostering positive teacher-student relationships and honing students' social skills through collaborative play. As a result of integrating Social and Personal Competencies strategies, classrooms transformed into secure and valued environments with all 12 teachers experiencing a positive transformation in their teaching approach by becoming more mindful of students' emotions.

Keywords

Education, Educational Leadership

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