Description
The primary purpose of this study was to enhance the ability of universal social emotional learning (SEL) programs to effectively serve students who attend US/MX border schools by analyzing the SEL constructs defined by a popular organization, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Inspired by the ideology of action research, this qualitative study employed a prototype analysis methodology design to determine the extent to which CASEL-defined SEL constructs align with the lived beliefs and experiences of students who attend US/MX border schools. Prototype analysis involves multiple phases of data collection to gather student-generated features of concepts under study. Prototype analysis methodology has been used for decades in cognitive science, psychology, and linguistics to develop various concepts, but it has never been utilized in the development of SEL constructs. Therefore, the secondary purpose of this study was to examine the utility of prototype analysis methodology for this aim. Summary findings of the study include that there is some alignment (70%) between the CASEL-defined SEL constructs and student-generated features, but many student-generated features (62%) do not align with a CASEL-defined SEL construct. These findings indicate that there is potential for “equity elaborations” to modify the existing CASEL SEL constructs to be more culturally responsive. Findings also reveal the strengths and limitations of prototype analysis methodology for use studying SEL constructs with this population. Keywords: universal social emotional learning, school-based interventions, SEL, equity-oriented SEL, prototype analysis methodology, US/MX border schools, culturally responsive SEL constructs, Mexican students, Immigrant students
