Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation aims to respond to two challenges. The first is a gap in literature and research around the impact of social-emotional learning (SEL) beyond graduation from high school. While many studies have been conducted on the impact of SEL in schools, few examine how the use of SEL schools supports students in their post-secondary success. The second challenge centers on the current job market crisis in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, specifically with job satisfaction and retention of employees. This study invited employees at five large companies in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area to respond to a two-part survey. The first part asked participants to reflect on how well they were taught various SEL skills while in school. The second part had participants rating their job satisfaction in their current place of employment. The desired outcome of the dissertation is to determine if a statistically significant relationship exists between SEL and job satisfaction. A Pearson r correlation coefficient test and independent-samples test were utilized to analyze the data. At the conclusion of the study, it was found that there exists a positive relationship between receiving SEL in school and job satisfaction, and strong positive relationship between SEL skills and job satisfaction.

Year manuscript completed

2023

Year degree awarded

2023

Dissertation Committee Chair

Teresa Clark

Committee Chair

Teresa Clark

Committee Member

Sean Simons

Committee Member

Landon Clark

Document Type

Thesis

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