Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Curriculum and Instruction (CI)
Director
DANIEL, MAYRA
Co-Director
BLAKE, SALLY
Committee Members
BURGIN, XIMENA
Keywords
English as a Foreign Language (EFL); pedagogical content knowledge; social emotional learning (SEL); teacher professional development; emotional education; foreign countries
Abstract
This convergent mixed-methods study explored how secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Uruguay changed their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of social emotional learning (SEL), and their beliefs about their role in SEL integration, after participating in a six-week online professional development (PD) course. Amid increased international emphasis on the importance of social and emotional competencies (SECs) for students’ academic and personal success, Uruguay’s EFL national curriculum calls for the promotion of these competencies, yet offers limited guidelines or training for their EFL educators. The PD course was designed by the researcher to address this gap, providing foundational SEL knowledge and implementation strategies aligned with both international frameworks and the national curriculum.
Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 210 Uruguayan secondary EFL teachers at three stages: before the PD (pretest), immediately after completing the PD (posttest), and six weeks later (follow-up). Additionally, qualitative data were gathered from four open-ended survey questions. Quantitative analyses using non-parametric statistical methods examined the extent and nature of change in teachers’ SEL-related PCK and beliefs, and tested for differences based on tenure, gender, years of experience, and prior SEL PD participation. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses provided insight into participants’ perceptions of their learning and its application after participating in the PD.
Findings indicate significant positive shifts in teachers’ SEL knowledge and in their beliefs about their instructional role in SEL integration. Participants reported increased understanding of SEL principles, enhanced ability to embed SEL into EFL instruction, and greater confidence in implementing SEL in the EFL instruction. The course’s emphasis on reflection, collaboration, and contextualized SEL practices contributed to sustained changes over time.
This study contributes to a growing body of literature on SEL training, especially in Latin American contexts where such research is limited. The findings inform policy and practice, offering actionable insights for teacher training, curricular reform, and systemic support for SEL implementation in Uruguay’s public education system.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Coli, Sheila, "AN EXPLORATION OF CHANGE IN TEACHERS’ SEL PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEFS AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A SEL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE FOR URUGUAYAN TEACHERS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 80.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/80
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
