View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IUPUIScholarWorks APPLIED EDUCATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY Sheila R. Dennis Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Social Work, Indiana University November 2018 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty of Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ Kathy Lay, Ph.D., Chair ______________________________________ Margaret Adamek, Ph.D. June 14, 2018 ______________________________________ James Brown, Ph.D. ______________________________________ Claire Draucker, Ph.D. ______________________________________ Susan Glassburn, Ph.D. ii ©2018 Sheila R. Dennis iii DEDICATION To Sade, Lola, and Katherine, my partners throughout this dissertation sojourn. You inspire me with your steadfast commitment and understanding as I retreated into far away worlds of reflection and generativity. Truly, I could not have triumphed through the adversity of this protracted life experience without being wrapped in your tender love. Sade, may traveling this journey with your mother, during your most formative years, empower you to transcend limiting narratives so that the world may know your creative, trailblazing spirit. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My sincerest gratitude goes to the community of people who abided with me throughout this eight-year process of balancing the demands of single parenting, full-time employment, and Ph.D. work. It is only because of the love and support of the following people that I was able to reach this pinnacle life achievement. My mother, Judy Dennis, offered her unwavering love that fueled me through each new passageway. Her steadfast presence throughout the emotional mountains and valleys sustained me. Marsha Groll, my sister, gave me needed support when the pressures mounted, offering reinforcement along my path. They both continually reminded me of my relentless inner fortitude. My dissertation committee - Drs. Kathy Lay, Margaret Adamek, James Brown, Claire Draucker, and Susan (Larimer) Glassburn - provided me anchoring wisdom that helped refine my vision in a responsible and confident manner. Through their dedicated efforts, I transformed into a scholar who will contribute to the well-being of children, families, and school communities. I am especially grateful to Dr. Kathy Lay, my chair, mentor, and friend. Dr. Lay walked alongside me, stretched me to new possibilities, and reminded me of my humanity throughout the process. I also offer a special thank you to Dr. Claire Draucker, from Indiana University School of Nursing. Dr. Draucker graciously invested in my research skill development through coursework, mentoring, and eventually as a dissertation committee member. The Indiana University School of Social Work (IUSSW) community gave me a nurturing place of belonging leading up to, during, and following my dissertation completion. Dean Michael Patchner provided me space and opportunity to pursue my v vision of acquiring my Ph.D. while working full-time at IUSSW. In addition to the structural supports, Dean Patchner ceaselessly emphasized his desire to see me grow into my purpose. Dr. Margaret Adamek, Ph.D. Program Director, helped me to navigate each layer of the Ph.D. and dissertation processes and cultivated our community of emerging scholars. The IUSSW Ph.D. professors delivered rigorous courses and invested in my success at each step. Finally, the flow of love and support from my IUSSW colleagues and friends is incalculable. I cherish the web of relationships that held me steady through the relentless challenges of balancing my employment responsibilities and Ph.D. work. IUSSW colleagues especially integral to my success were Drs. Susan (Larimer) Glassburn, Katie McCarthy, and Stephanie Quiring. From their guidance, expertise and wisdom, the work I produced was more rigorous and substantive. Their unconditional friendship during the loneliest parts of the Ph.D. journey sustained me. Numerous community stakeholders contributed to my dissertation research. Most notably, Dr. Lori Desautels, Michael McKnight, and Christy Gauss inspired my research trajectory and collaborated to launch my vision for this line of inquiry. The administrators from two school corporations, aspiring to transform their learning climates, graciously supported the work and gave me access to their school settings. My sincerest gratitude goes to the administrators, teachers and students who generously shared their narrative accounts, stories that will be an enduring compass for my future research. Knitting together their words and themes was one of the foremost honors of my life. To each of you and many others who invested in and believed in me, the depth of my gratitude is immeasurable. vi Sheila R. Dennis APPLIED EDUCATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY Educational neuroscience (EN) is a transdisciplinary convergence of neurosciences, education, and psychology that has gained international momentum. Its purpose is to advance the application of neurosciences in P-12 education as a way to improve the design of instructional environments and practices that support the multidimensional social, affective, and cognitive learning needs of students. The potential integration of EN practices into school settings affects educators and school social workers who promote positive school climates and address barriers to learning. Despite the ascension of scholarly discourse proposing the integration of neuroscience knowledge with education practices, a shared conceptual framework remains elusive for the emergent discipline, and the translation of EN into education practices is unexamined. A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted to investigate the emerging conceptualization of EN practices and implications for promoting a positive classroom climate. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with two administrators, three teachers, and 48 students as well as four classroom observations from three different fourth and fifth grade classrooms in a US Midwest city. The data analyses generated a conceptual model that revealed how EN practices unfolded in the classroom to facilitate the co-creation of a positive classroom climate. The data indicated that a humanistic organizational structure facilitated the EN practice implementation, and the teacher’s regulatory state was central to the application process. Five themes emerged that vii characterized EN practices: teaching neuroanatomy, reflecting on emotions, self- regulating, adapting classroom boundaries, and honoring the whole student. Interactions resulting from these practices aligned with four established climate dimensions: teaching and learning, structure of the learning environment, safety, and relationships. The resulting classroom climate contributed to students’ resiliency, as observed by reduced office referrals, readiness to learn, empowered decision-making, greater empathy, and enhanced social connectedness. Findings from this study support a conceptual model for the application of EN practices in elementary classrooms and align with existing research that suggests positive climates promote healthy development, social-emotional learning, and academic success. The results of this study will inform future translational EN inquiry as well as educators and school social workers who seek to co-create positive classroom climates using transdisciplinary EN practices. Kathy Lay, Ph.D., Chair viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLE .............................................................................................................. xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 The Neuroscience Movement.......................................................................................... 2 Educational Neuroscience: Historical Background and Definition ................................ 4 Collaborative Knowledge Building ............................................................................. 7 A Transdisciplinary Science ........................................................................................ 8 Research Problem .......................................................................................................... 10 Research Purpose and Questions ............................................................................... 11 Rationale and Significance ........................................................................................ 11 Creating Evidence-Informed Interventions for Learning Environments ...................... 12 The Prevalence of Childhood Trauma and Adversity: Implications for Learning ........ 12 Supporting Students with Exceptional Life Stressors ............................................... 14 How is Educational Neuroscience Significant for Social Work Practice?.................... 14 Educational Neuroscience: The Role of the School Social Worker .......................... 15 Historical Features of School Social Work ............................................................... 16 Roles and Functions of School Social Workers