SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND STUDENTS WHO FACE POVERTY: THREE

APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING THE ABSTRACT NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHO

EXPERIENCE POVERTY
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Social and Emotional Learning and Students Who Experience Poverty: Three Approaches to

Addressing the Abstract Needs of Students Who Are Experiencing Poverty

Taylor Meneley

Cameron Potter

Rachel Provenzano

Texas Christian University

Introduction
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The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies five

core competencies that are important for individuals to learn and grow in a social-emotional

context. These five core competencies include: self-awareness, self-management, social

awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (SEL Core Competencies,

2015). These competencies become more difficult to attain when challenging factors such as

poverty are brought into the equation. Studies show that children who face poverty while they

are growing up show a greater instability in peer relationships while in elementary school. Due

to these weaker ties, they tend to experience less interpersonal trust. When they transition to

adolescence, their weaker social ties transfer from peers to adults. Teens who come from

poverty tend to feel a lack of belonging within their schools. They also transfer their reliance

from adults to peers (Evans, 2004). In light of these differing social emotional skills, relative to

adolescents who come from higher socioeconomic households, there is an overarching need for

approaches that improve social-emotional skills and competencies for students who experience

poverty. It is important for schools and educators to realize that students who are experiencing

or have experience poverty have needs that expand beyond materials and basic living

necessities. It is necessary for schools to address the abstract needs of these students such as

a lack of self-confidence, self-reliance and personal vision (Reyneke, 2009). Social-emotional

learning, as defined by CASEL, is an important addition to secondary curriculum to ensure that

students are receiving a well-rounded education. By incorporating School-Wide Positive

Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS), a social justice class using Youth Participatory

Action Research (YPAR) and Adventure-Based Experiential Learning (ABEL), schools can

better meet the material and abstract needs of students who experience poverty.

Approach #1: School Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support

How This Approach Addresses the Problem:

One structural approach that is also theoretically sound to increasing the social-

emotional health of high school students experiencing poverty involves the implementation of
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school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The purpose of SWPBIS is

to improve and maintain the behavioral and academic performance of all students through

implementation of school-wide expectations, catered to specific school populations. In order to

provide appropriate behavioral instruction for all students, including those dealing with the

social-emotional effects of poverty, SWPBIS uses increasingly intensifying “tiered models of

service delivery” (SWPBIS for Beginners, 2016), delivering universal behavioral instruction at

Tier 1, more direct instruction at Tier 2, and individualized instruction at Tier 3. SWPBIS

addresses self-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making, amongst other

important components of social-emotional learning.

SWPBIS is made up of seven key components: 1) standards and expectations for

positive behavior that are implemented school-wide, 2) direct instruction of expectations and

rules, 3) acknowledgement of appropriate behaviors, 4) repercussions for disobedience in the

school setting, 5) data-based decision making, 6) school-level administrative support, and 7)

district-level support (Swain-Bradway, 2015). All of these components lead the way for students

to engage in more positive academic and social behavior.

Key Steps to Implementation:

In order for SWPBIS to be effective, at least 80% of the teachers must be willing to

participate in the practice, and local and district-level administrators must also show their

support regarding this intervention. Teachers and administrators must decide on 3-5 principles

that the staff and students will focus on school-wide (School-Wide Behavior, 2016). Once the

principles are established, professional development is necessary in order to train teachers on

how to use PBIS both inside their classrooms and on a school-wide level. Administrators should

check in with teachers and other staff members during faculty meetings in order to ensure that

the staff is confident in the implementation of SWPBIS as the school year progresses. It is also

important that teachers feel comfortable maintaining an open dialogue with their administrators

in regards to SWPBIS practices.

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Evidence to Support This Approach:

SWPBIS is a service delivery model that is research-based and rooted in Applied

Behavior Analysis (ABA). SWPBIS has been proven effective in many school settings amongst

a wide variety of populations. In a recent peer-reviewed study addressing the fidelity, or quality,

of SWPBIS practices in high school settings, results showed a significant increase of

attendance and decrease in office discipline referrals (ODR) within schools operating with high

fidelity programs (Freeman, 2016). For students experiencing the effects of poverty, school

attendance is paramount, and finding appropriate strategies that may increase attendance and

school participation is essential.

Concerns About This Approach:

Although SWPBIS is a widely known behavior support system, there are some concerns

with the approach on a high school level. First of all, the implementation and specific guidelines

for SWPBIS are less defined in high school settings than at the elementary and middle school

levels. This requires more trial-and-error for the students, teachers, and administrators involved

in the SWPBIS process. In addition, the planning and implementation of SWPBIS in high

schools takes longer than it does in elementary and middle schools due to the increased effect

that context has on SWPBIS. The three primary contextual influences that must be kept in mind

when implementing SWPBIS in high schools are size, culture, and developmental level

(Flannery & Sugai, 2009). Due to the large amounts of effort involved in implementing SWPBIS

in high schools, many teachers are resistant to the idea of implementing it in their classrooms,

which interrupts the “school-wide” approach. Although it requires a lot of time and effort,

SWPBIS has the potential to greatly improve behavioral and social interactions for high school

students from all backgrounds.

Approach #2: Social Justice Class Using Youth Participatory Action Research

How This Approach Addresses the Problem:

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Our second approach is the introduction of a social justice class that uses Youth

Participatory Action Research (YPAR). Action research is defined as a collaborative process for

inquiry and discussion while searching for solutions to everyday problems (Ferrance, 2000).

Evans (2004) notes that children who face poverty experience multiple stressors in their home

life that make meeting learning objectives more complex than simply learning the content.

Students who encounter poverty are more likely to encounter family turmoil, violence,

separation from their families, instability and chaotic home lives; because of this, they are

classified under IDEA, 2004, as “at-risk.” As students progress toward middle and secondary

school, there tends to be a shift in teacher perception of these students and they tend to be

labeled as “unmotivated” and/or “un-teachable” (Livingstone, Celemencki, Calixte, 2014).

Students who face poverty are more likely to experience less social support and a more

authoritative home life (Evans, 2004). As a result of this, their social emotional learning (SEL) is

not as developed as an adolescent who comes from a higher socioeconomic household, in part

adding to the stereotyping of the kind of student they may be. Harrell-Levy, Kerpelman, and

Henry (2016) define social justice education as “the promotion of a fair and just society, and

empowers students to alter societal structures and arrangements via critical thinking and other

pedagogical strategies,” (p. 100).

Introducing a social justice class centered around YPAR is an effective approach for

students who face poverty because it provides the opportunity for students to address their

deficit in SEL and advocate to alleviate one or more stressors that these students face because

of poverty. Nygreen (2010) states that YPAR acts as a democratizing agent because in terms of

social justice, students are seeking academic knowledge as co-researchers and telling their

story versus someone telling it for them. A social justice class aims to use school curriculum to

help students who come from hard backgrounds to understand and address social inequalities

and cultural differences affecting their lives while developing SEL and academics.
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According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL),

SEL has five core competencies: 1) self-awareness, 2) self-management, 3) social-awareness,

4) relationship skills, and 5) responsible decision making. Within a social justice class, students

will engage in YPAR and develop social and emotional skills through their acquisition of content.

The purpose of engaging in YPAR is to provide youth with experiential learning that they have

never, or are rarely engaging in, that will help them acquire skills in leadership, critical thinking,

public speaking, teamwork, writing, and community organizing (Livingstone, Celemencki,

Calixte, p. 287). By incorporating the participation of students, the class will be structured

around research and implementation of a project of their choosing. Livingstone, Celemencki,

and Calixte (2014) state:

YPAR also builds on the concepts from the field of positive youth development (PYD),
which emerges in the last couple of decades as a way of overcoming the limitations in
mainstream community-based youth programs of viewing youth as ‘problems to be
managed’ rather than as individuals with untapped skills and potential. The premise of
PYD is that programs must begin to recognize that all youth, whatever their
backgrounds, possess innate talents and strengths, (p. 286-287).
Students will build their academic and social/emotional skills while illuminating systemic

issues that students who come from poverty face. Experts comment on the social justice

curriculum as a product of YPAR. Through collaborative research, students are able to address

inequalities impacting their day-to-day lives (Nygreen, 2010). While the students are

researching those inequalities, they are simultaneously building the academic and cultural tools

needed to implement change. They are working together to find a solution and learn how to

effectively collect and report data supporting their methodology. Providing students with the

opportunity to bring light to systemic problems and potentially find a solution to one or more of

the stressors that students who face poverty experience that is inhibiting their academic

experience.

Evidence to Support This Approach:

Previous studies using YPAR found that students developed a clear sense of identity as

a result of the project (Harrell-Levy, Kerpelman, Henry, 2016; Nygreen, 2010; Livingstone,
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Celemencki, Calixte, 2014). Nygreen (2010) noted the students’ ability to learn about the social

inequalities faced and attain the cultural and academic tools needed to develop their

understandings surrounding the issues and “speak in a manner that will be heard, so they are

not dismissed as ‘just some person off the streets’” (p. 249) was evident. Harrell-Levy,

Kerpelman, and Henry (2014) conducted a study with students from an urban catholic school

with a high population of African American students. This school incorporated a social justice

class, using YPAR, into their graduation requirements. The authors conducted a qualitative

ethnography and interviewed alum from 2009 to the most recent graduates at the time of the

study. They found three recurring themes when interviewing previous students: “1) civic and

career identity exploration, 2) sense of self—feeling agentic and self-assured, and 3) sense of

self—reconsidering advantage,” (p. 105). After taking the social justice class, the participants

showed a higher interest in expanding their knowledge and goals and translating into their

careers to help their communities and advocate for systemic changes to alleviate those

inequalities (Harrell-Levy, Kerpelman, Henry, 2016; Livingstone, Celemencki, Calixte, 2014).

Participants commented on how the dynamics of YPAR influenced their sense of identity in

expanding their perceived abilities and challenged their preconceived notions of what they could

do with the life they were “dealt”. This study showed that the social justice class was merely an

introduction into the implications of inequalities and often sparked a lasting impact (Harrell-Levy,

Kerpelman, Henry, 2016). It is important to note that the authors of this study used convenience

sampling. It is likely that the social justice class did not have this great of an impact of every

student who took this class, and it is not a school aimed at students who face poverty. However,

it is a school that is populated with a marginalized demographic and the implication of

introducing adolescents to social justice is influential.

Livingstone, Celemencki, and Calixte (2014) conducted a YPAR project looking into the

high dropout rates of black youth in urban schools. The authors’ results conclude, “the quality

and depth of the project’s research findings confirm that high school students possess the
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maturity, intellect, and commitment to participate in challenging research endeavors,” (p. 295).

The authors comment on how including the students’ perspectives and research helped to

illuminate systemic issues that were not clear before youth involvement. In addition to the

systemic information, the youth who were commonly marginalized, developed a greater sense

of self, and self-confidence, while building their academic skills through a unique experiential

opportunity. By including students who face poverty in a YPAR social justice class, the students

are given the space to develop their SEL and their academic needs to better themselves and

their communities that can potentially alleviate some of the stressors caused by poverty.

Key Steps to Implementation:

In order to implement a social justice class, educators and schools must develop a

strong framework for the students to fill in. Prior to beginning the YPAR, students must be

taught the academics behind research and the social emotional skills needed for collaboration

and politically and emotionally charged topics. Students must be taught how to thoughtfully

disagree with another person. They also must be taught how to tailor their perspective to looking

for opportunities for improvement or solutions and not consistent finger pointing. Once a

cohesive, intentional classroom relationship is established, then may the class look into the

content of social justice. A general background knowledge in U.S.government and history is

needed, as well as current inequalities. Students may guide the content depending on the

stressors and inequalities that they highlight. The educators should balance introducing

students to new ideas, as well as addressing topics that they show interest on. Once a clear

research topic and purpose is developed, then the educators will begin planning and

implementing methodology to meet the students YPAR project. As the project progresses, the

learning objectives will develop tailoring to the students wants and needs. The educator and

students must balance the fluidity of the assignment and the structure needed to effectively

complete research that can be used to better the system and community. The topics can range

from micro to macro level of involvement. Whether the students choose to focus on their school,
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district, community, or broaden their horizon to a state or federal level, it is imperative that the

students direct the YPAR to where they want it to go--under the supervision and guidance of the

educator.

Concerns About This Approach:

An effective YPAR social justice class is not a small task. This course would require a

large amount of community, school, and teacher support. In terms of teacher roles, it can be

challenging for the educator to find the balance between a direct and constructivist approach.

There is a required adaptation as the project progresses while remaining attentive to the needs

and capacity of the students. The educator must ensure that the students will not colossally fail,

while maintaining high expectations to challenge the students outside of their comfort zones.

Maintaining methodology and validity in YPAR is also a concern. Because of the nature of

action research, this is usually a limitation. When you have a handful of youth conducting

research, the teacher must balance the youth emic perspective with the potential threats to

validity and methodology. An additional concern of a social justice class is maintaining

classroom management and cohesion between the school and students. While it is important to

flush out the inequalities these students face, it is equally important to focus on the potential

solutions and effective social emotional skills needed to discuss these emotionally and politically

charged topics. A social justice class requires a higher level of risk-management than other

social studies classes found within high schools.

Approach #3: Adventure-Based Experiential Learning

How This Approach Addresses the Problem:

Our third and final approach is our “wild card” approach. This theoretically sound

approach could be instituted systemically, or as a stand-alone intervention with specific

students. This approach uses Adventure-Based Experiential Learning (ABEL) to support

students in need of social-emotional development. Much like the first two approaches, this

approach shows potential to benefit all students, but seems to hold specifically salient potential
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for youth at-risk due to poverty related issues.

ABEL is any form of learning that situates the learner in “adventure” activities, typically in

the outdoors. On an experiential learning continuum, ABEL is on the end heavy on experience,

past the middle group of SWPBIS, and even more experiential than a YPAR classroom. These

activities can include such activities as hiking, backpacking, cycling, sailing, orienteering, and

many others. These more traditional adventure activities, however, provide an incomplete

picture of ABEL. Adventure is well defined by Reyneke (2009), as “a way of doing, and not

necessarily what is done” (p. 49). With this understanding, Reyneke argues that, “any

environment could be potentially adventurous, especially if it contains an element of surprise

and involves activities that motivate participants to go beyond their normal limits” (p. 49).

Additionally, ABEL can incorporate classroom content, (e.g. rock climbing to learn about

geology, backpacking to study ecology, etc.) but research has shown those learning outcomes

to be secondary to the social-emotional benefits of ABEL (Ungar, 2005).

Students that are experiencing the challenges of poverty would benefit greatly from the

implementation of ABEL in their schools, specifically in connection with their social and

emotional needs. ABEL is unique in that it provides opportunities for students to develop self-

awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision

making in a very natural, unfocused way. Rather than pausing the curriculum to discuss social

and emotional well-being, these important content areas will arise throughout the adventure

process. Imagine a student that “has a hard time” during a tiring day of backpacking. As a result

they have lashed out at their teammates in anger, neglected their own physical needs (i.e.

water, rest breaks, etc.), and alienated themselves from the group. Instead of being sent to the

principal's office, or being sent home, they will remain with your group for 3 more days of

backpacking. This opportunity to teach real-time, hands on, practical SEL material is noted as

one of the more powerful impacts of ABEL (Ungar 2005). Students appreciated this practical

connection with their leaders, and reported feeling equal to, and respected by their adult
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leaders. They were “highly motivated” by the hands-on experience of learning, and viewed it as

a “rewarding aspect of their program experience” (Ungar 2005, p. 328). Rather than disciplining

the student for the behavior, it becomes a powerful learning opportunity (for the student and

possibly the group) in the emotional process leading up to, and through their decision-making.

Key Ideas of ABEL:

Core to the philosophy of ABEL, as developed by M. A. Gass (1993), are 3 key tenets.

Rather than an indepth view, the following is intended as a cursory overview of the 3 tenets, as

well as a critical philosophical aim of ABEL.

Challenge by choice: This tenet is two fold, encompassing both challenge, meaning it should

stretch participants in some way, and choice, meaning the student has the opportunity to opt-in,

or opt-out of the activities without penalization in anyway, including peer pressure.

Full-Value Contract: Group members contribute to group norms that they mutually agree to hold

to and enforce throughout the length of the program. A practical example is the bandana

provided to groups at Texas Christian University’s Frog Camp for incoming freshman. Campers

all identify values and respectful norms to be written on the bandana. The bandana is produced

during group time as a reminder to mutually established boundaries and expectations. Students

are then expected to uphold the boundaries themselves, as well as hold each other

accountable.

Experiential Learning Process: The experiential learning process focuses on a cycle of 1)

Experience, 2) Share, 3) Process, 4) Generalize, and 5) Apply. Step 1 is the “Do” phase, steps

2 and 3 are the “Reflect” phase, and steps 4 and 5 are the “Apply” phase. Key to this process is

direct experience. Processing and debriefing the experience leads learners to the “Learning

Edge”. The learning edge is the point at which students can begin to explore new territories.

Often accompanying proximity to the “learning edge” are feelings of uncertainty, fearfulness,

anxiety, and confusion.

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Adventure Empowerment: Though not one of the original core tenets, adventure empowerment

is integral to the philosophy of ABEL. Adventure empowerment is the process by which ABEL

helps students, “gain the power of decision making and action over their own lives” (Reyenke,

2009, p. 54). Through the challenge, experience, and debrief, adventure empowerment is the

goal of ABEL. Exploration of skills and transference back to the home environment is key.

Through these tenets, ABEL has been found to have, “a strong positive relationship between

emotional intelligence and participation in outdoor training programs” (Hayashi & Ewert, 2013, p.

14).

Evidence to Support This Approach:

Upon examination of the research, ABEL has a number of promising benefits for

students experiencing physical and emotional poverty. Ungar (2005) identifies the “authenticity”

of these experiences as a factor in development and demonstration of new competencies such

as, “problem solving, autonomy, and helpfulness” (p. 331). Ewert & Yoshino (2011) found that

their treatment group experienced more gains in resilience than the control group over the

course of their study. In this case the treatment was a 3-week outdoor expedition that included a

3-day long solo. In their mix-method research, they also found themes of increased

perseverance, self-awareness, social support, confidence, responsibility to others, and

achievement. Price (2013) found that school attendance for students with emotional and

behavior disorders significantly increased on Tuesdays, the day that students would participant

in ABEL.

In addition to social-emotional learning, Conrad & Hedin (1982) found that 73% of

students reported learning “more” or “much more” in ABEL programs compared with an average

classroom. In light of this, it is clear that ABEL’s holistic approach has benefits beyond the

Concerns About This Approach:

While this approach shows promise there are significant challenges in implementation.

Most notably, financial costs can become a barrier to this type of intervention. Traveling, gear,
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food, supervision, and programming for ABEL can be a large financial burden for schools to

bear, especially when the benefits to social, emotional, and academic progress are not well

advertised.

Additionally, the skill set required to design and run quality ABEL programming is

unorthodox. As a result, quality instructors that can teach content, process emotions, build

teams, and navigate the wilderness are difficult to find, much less hire. The common solution for

this issue is to bring multiple adults with various specialities along. Unfortunately, this solution

generally increases the financial costs even more.

Price (2013) notes the difficulties related to gaining consent for student participation,

both consent from the school as well as consent from the parent. Throughout Price’s research

the school would withdraw consent for disciplinary reasons, safety reasons, and would

occasionally cancel ABEL programs to focus on other programs. Inconsistent transportation,

poor school communication, and home crises were some of the reasons cited as barriers to

student involvement from the parents.

A final concern with this approach is the emphasis on ‘disequilibration’ or challenge. Key

to the philosophy of ABEL is the idea that students must be stretched. While this is normally a

good thing, students that are already being challenged by life circumstances may not be the

best fit for ABEL. While the elements of challenge are set in a context of safety and choice, it

must be recognized that each student has widely variant amounts of challenge pre-existing in

their lives, and for some students, more challenge may be too much.

Key Steps for Implementation:

In order to implement an ABEL program successfully all of the stakeholders need to be

on board. This includes the administration, teachers, parents, and students. While 100% of

students or parents do not need to be on board, there needs to be a critical mass to support the

program. Additionally, many ABEL programs are gear intensive. Before considering an ABEL,

ensure there is enough capital to purchase the required gear, and enough space to store in
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where it will remain in good condition. Once these steps are complete, building a quality

curriculum that incorporates learning content, social and emotional development, and the

student population attending (specific classes? entire grades?) will determine staff needs. The

best place to begin with these questions is by looking to see if there are local non-profits that

could help with some of the logistical, gear, or staffing needs. Consider researching Los

Angeles Wilderness Training, Bay Area Wilderness Training, (both of which provide you with

training and gear FREE to take students out on adventures), Outward Bound Adventures, The

Adventure Institute, and Pure Adventure.

Conclusion:

While each of these three approaches, School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and

Supports (SWPBIS), Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) , and Adventure-Based

Experiential Learning (ABEL), are different in substance, they are also very alike in philosophy.

All three approaches advocate clear expectations for students, student engagement in learning,

and student choice. Though the methods vary, these philosophical foundations must remain in

place in order for students who experience poverty to be socially and emotionally successful at

school. By choosing to engage students in behavior management and learning in these ways,

all students will experience gains in the five core competencies of social-emotional learning:

self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible

decision-making (SEL Core Competencies, 2015). Perhaps viewing student learning through

this lens would enable schools to view the students more holistically, respectfully, and everyone

would benefit.
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