Motivating the SEL Field Forward Through Equity

Nicholas Yoder, Alexandra Skoog-Hoffman

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781800434660
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Psychologie de l'éducation

How do we navigate uncertain times? What competencies and motivational factors accelerate us to grow and develop and what hinders our success? What are strategies that researchers, educators and policymakers can engage in to more fully realize the potential of all students, combatting institutional and interpersonal inequities? To answer these questions, we need to develop a deeper understanding of what motivates youth and adults, inclusive of the contextual and institutional variables that influence individuals, to develop and apply their social and emotional competencies. Motivating the SEL Field Forward Through Equity looks for a deeper critical understanding of the role of social and emotional learning (SEL) as a lever for equitable access to the competencies and skills individuals will ultimately need to be successful in school, work, and life. To do this, we need to explore the motivational factors of individuals and how that connects to SEL for all students, programs and practices that promote a more equitable SEL experience for all students, and practices to engage researchers and practitioners to deepen implementation of SEL with all students.This handbook will benefit the broader SEL market including researchers, practitioners, school and district leaders, and teacher preparation programs in the SEL and motivation fields who are actively engaged in working to create equitable outcomes for adults and youth.

SECTION 1
MOTIVATION AND SEL

What Is the Role of Motivation in Social and Emotional Learning?

Stephen R. Getty, Kenneth E. Barron and Chris S. Hulleman

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an important driver of student well-being, academic achievement, and future success. Despite decades of work on motivation theory and frameworks to promote student motivation and achievement outcomes, connections between motivation and recent frameworks and measures of SEL could be stronger. The purpose of our chapter is to help address this shortcoming. First, we begin by reviewing which theories of motivation currently appear in major SEL frameworks. Second, we introduce how a more comprehensive theory of motivation (based on an expectancy–value–cost framework) could be incorporated into SEL frameworks to advance their overall impact. Third, using examples from our ongoing research in STEM classrooms, we show how a broader knowledge of motivation can inform practitioners on how to promote key SEL competencies and subsequent achievement and engagement for students, especially to address inequities for historically marginalized and minoritized students. Finally, we close with recommendations for future directions for research and practice.

Keywords: Motivation; expectancy–value theory; expectancy–value–cost framework; social and emotional learning; STEM education; equity

A growing research literature now highlights the role of social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies in student achievement and success in school (Osher, Kidron, Brackett, Jones, & Weisseberg, 2016). SEL competencies are a complement to students' intellectual and analytic abilities, and have been labeled a variety of names such as social and emotional skills, noncognitive skills, soft skills, twenty-first century skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities, behavioral skills, or emotional intelligence (e.g., Camara, O'Connor, Mattern, & Hanson, 2015; Dusenbury, Newman, Weissburg, Goren, Domitrovich, & Mart, 2015; NRC, 2012). SEL competencies include characteristics such as effort, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, effective communication, motivation, and persistence (Rosen, Glennie, Dalton, Lennon, & Bozick, 2010), and they have been shown generally to predict academic achievement and success in later life (e.g., Durlak, Domitrovich, Weissberg, & Gullotta, 2015; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). Still, numerous challenges remain to clarify: (1) which SEL competencies are most fundamental to students' overall success; (2) how should researchers, evaluators, and practitioners best measure and use data on SEL (Humphrey et al., 2011); and (3) how can inequities in education and beyond be addressed by SEL.

At the same time, a broad body of work over the last half century has laid a foundation for the key role that motivation plays in learning and student achievement (e.g., Elliot & Dweck, 2005; NRC, 2012; Stipek, 2002). As motivation researchers, we are struck how the same list of challenges for SEL can easily be applied to work in motivation: (1) which motivation constructs and theories are most fundamental to students' overall success, (2) how should researchers, evaluators, and practitioners best measure and use data on motivation, and (3) how can inequities in education and beyond be addressed by motivation. This is especially true in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, where research and reform efforts have focused on understanding student motivation and subsequent persistence and achievement, particularly for marginalized and minoritized students (NRC, 2011), where we have conducted the majority of our work. Although the fields of SEL and motivation have faced similar challenges, an additional challenge emerges for researchers and practitioners when trying to integrate theoretical frameworks and terminology from both fields.

In this chapter, we discuss the close connection between motivation and SEL, and pose the question: “What is the role of motivation in SEL?” Specifically, what key motivational theories and constructs are represented in SEL frameworks and what key theories or constructs may be missing in SEL frameworks? To do so, we introduce a recent revision of expectancy–value theory (Eccles et al., 1983) that highlights an expectancy–value–cost framework for motivation (Barron & Hulleman, 2015) to better capture the numerous motivational constructs proposed in the psychological literature (Hulleman, Barron, Lazowski, & Kosovich, 2016) and how they overlap with proposed SEL competencies. Then we share our work on measuring motivation in STEM classrooms and how measuring motivation provides opportunities for practitioners to promote SEL competencies and student learning outcomes. Our example highlights how centering the culture of Indigenous Americans when designing a climate science curriculum can increase students' motivation, engagement, and learning. We show how motivation assessment data can inform interventions, as well as provide timely information to practitioners to support SEL and academic achievement. Our findings hold important implications for how school districts, researchers, and program evaluators work to measure and support practices that increase motivation and SEL outcomes in classrooms and schools.

Introduction to Theory and Research

Connections between SEL and Motivation

At face value, one might anticipate that SEL and motivation would have clear relationships due to their shared focus on identifying key skills individuals need for academic success. However, because of evolving SEL terminology, frameworks, and measurement scales over the past 20 years, it can be challenging at times to systematically connect SEL to motivation theory, practice, and research (e.g., Denham, Ji, & Hamre, 2010; Humphrey et al., 2011). For example, we were surprised that the very comprehensive Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning (Durlak et al., 2015) contained a mere four references under “motivation” in an extensive, detailed subject index. So, understanding what motivation constructs fall under or outside an SEL umbrella can be challenging to a first time reader or a researcher from a related SEL field (like we are from the field of motivation).

Despite these challenges, clarifying the close connection between motivation and SEL is within reach. Indeed, several researchers have started to discuss possible intersections between SEL and motivation (Jagers, Rivas-Drake, & Williams, 2019; Rimm-Kaufman & Hulleman, 2015), and this is one of the goals of this volume. We too see strong connections between motivation and SEL.

First, many SEL frameworks include concepts and terminology derived from the motivation literature. For example, the most widely used SEL framework, proposed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL; Zins et al., 2004), consists of five core competencies that clearly connect to different motivation theories. In Table 1, we list the CASEL core competency, the current working definition of the competency by CASEL, and our link to particular motivation theories. In particular, we italicize key wording from the CASEL framework in the second column that connects with motivation theories identified in the third column.

Table 1. Linkage between CASEL Social and Emotional Competencies and Classic Theories and Constructs of Motivation.

CASEL SEL Competency	Working CASEL Definition ^a for SEL Competency	Examples of Motivation Theories Falling within SEL Competency
1. Self-awareness	The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one's strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose. Such as: Integrating personal and social identities; Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets; Identifying one's emotions; Demonstrating honesty and integrity; Linking feelings, values, and thoughts; Examining prejudices and biases; Experiencing self-efficacy; Having a growth mindset; Developing interests and a sense of purpose.	Self-efficacy; Attribution; Self-determination; Expectancy–value–cost; Interest; Intrinsic motivation.
2. Self-management	The abilities to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals. Such as: Managing one's emotions; Identifying and using stress management strategies; Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation; Setting personal and collective goals; Using planning and organizational skills; Showing the courage to take initiative; Demonstrating personal and collective agency.	Goal setting; Achievement goal; Self-regulation; Expectancy–value–cost; Locus of control.
3. Relationship skills	The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem-solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed. Such as: Communicating effectively; Developing positive relationships; Demonstrating cultural competency; Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving; Resolving conflicts constructively; Resisting negative social pressure; Showing leadership in groups; Seeking or offering support and help when needed; Standing up for the rights of others.	Sense of belonging; Need.
4. Social awareness	The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. Such as: Taking others' perspectives; Recognizing strengths in others; Demonstrating empathy and compassion; Showing concern for the feelings of others; Understanding and expressing gratitude; Identifying diverse social norms, including unjust ones; Recognizing situational demands and opportunities; Understanding the influences of organizations and systems on behavior.	Not as clearly linked to classic motivation theories
5. Responsible decision-making	The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being. Such as: Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness; Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts; Identifying solutions for personal and social problems; Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one's actions; Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school; Reflecting on one's role to promote personal, family, and community well-being; Evaluating personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts.	Not as clearly linked to classic motivation theories

CASEL's self-awareness competency to promote “a well-grounded sense of confidence… experiencing self-efficacy… having a growth mindset” is clearly grounded in self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997), attribution theory (Wiener, 1979), and recent reformulations of attribution theory linked to growth mindset (Dweck, 2006). Similarly, for self-awareness, the ability to “understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior” is rooted in expectancy–value–cost (Eccles et al., 1983) and self-determination (Ryan & Deci, 2000) theories of motivation. Then the specific references to “developing interests and a sense of purpose” link to interest theories (Hidi & Renninger, 2006) and intrinsic motivation theories (Lepper & Henderlong, 2000).

CASEL's self-management competency – the ability to “manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively to achieve goals and aspirations” –is closely linked to models of self-regulation (Zimmerman, 2008), goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham, 2002), and achievement goal theory (Elliot, 2005). Finally, CASEL's relationship skills competencies – the ability to “establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships” – have close parallels with constructs in need theories (Ryan & Deci, 2000) an...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the Editors
• About the Contributors
• Introduction: Motivating the SEL Field Forward through Equity
• SECTION 1 MOTIVATION AND SEL
• SECTION 2 EQUITY AND SEL
• SECTION 3 RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
• Index