Doctor of Philosophy in
Education (PhD),
Social-Emotional Learning

A PhD prepares you to make significant contributions to the body of literature within the education field. This course prepares you for understanding what theory is, recognizing theoretical frameworks within existing literature, connecting your research interests to existing theoretical frameworks, and justifying how your research will add to the wealth of current theories in the field.

Your success as a scholarly professional will largely depend upon your communication skills, particularly in your written work. This course supports your development as a scholar who can publish in different types of research-based publications for a variety of audiences. You’ll practice synthesizing multiple sources, formulating arguments, and integrating feedback through iterative drafts of your work. These are key capabilities you’ll need as you submit your research in published manuscripts and presentations.

In this course, you’ll develop effective search and writing strategies to create a scholarly review of literature. The course emphasizes how to: (a) use effective literature search strategies; (b) develop a scholarly synthesis of research literature; (c) organize research literature around identified themes, including a study problem, purpose, and theoretical perspectives; and (d) focus on developing a scholarly exposition that reflects divergent viewpoints and contrasting perspectives. The overarching goal is for you to understand strategies for surveying scholarly literature that avoid bias, focus on educational, practice-based research problems, and address the requirements of a scholarly literature review.

This course introduces you to the research process by exploring its underpinnings, examining its paradigms, and investigating the foundations of qualitative and quantitative methodologies used in educational studies. You’ll identify criteria for the development of quality research studies that are ethical, accurate, comprehensive, cohesive, and aligned. Specific course topics involve the ethics of conducting research; data collection and analysis techniques; and issues of feasibility, trustworthiness, validity, reliability, transferability, and rigor. The goal is to familiarize yourself with the concepts and skills associated with conducting theoretical and applied research.

This course provides the foundational knowledge to become a critical consumer of statistical-based research and a skilled analyst of non-inferential quantitative data. Coursework focuses on understanding multivariate data, non-inferential and inferential statistical concepts, the conventions of quantitative data analysis, and interpretations and critical inferences in statistical results. You’ll use software applications to complete statistical computations and perform quantitative data analysis. The course culminates in a synthesis project to demonstrate your statistical skills and present your results using APA guidelines.

A focus on qualitative research methodology and the designs and methods used to collect and analyze data in educational research. You’ll examine the principles of qualitative research and explore commonly used designs (also referred to as qualitative traditions or genres) with a focus on application and feasibility. Qualitative data collection and analysis methods will be examined for their suitability with regard to the research design selected. Alignment between qualitative designs and research methods, issues of trustworthiness, and the responsibilities of the qualitative researcher will also be explored.

An exploration of quantitative research methodologies and associated designs and methods. You’ll examine paradigmatic perspectives along with the tenets and conventions of quantitative research. Topics for examination include feasibility, validity, reliability, variable operationalization, inferential designs, and analytic software applications used within the quantitative research paradigm. You’ll also look at the components of quantitative research designs that support meaningful studies within the field of education.

An exploration of advanced statistical principles and how to apply them to quantitative research. This course provides an overview of advanced statistical concepts used in empirical research, including inferential analyses. You’ll use SPSS software to perform advanced computations as you build independent, scholarly statistical skills. Coursework will emphasize multivariate data; the use, comprehension, and evaluation of sophisticated statistical concepts; and the proper presentation of statistical results.

This course builds on a foundational understanding of qualitative designs and measurements to focus on analyses of the data. Coursework takes you deeper into the skills and techniques necessary to ensure the appropriate analyses of qualitative data, including integrating relevant frameworks, verifying trustworthiness of the findings, and selecting suitable methods for presenting analyses and findings.

The doctoral comprehensive assessment is your opportunity to demonstrate your preparation for entering the dissertation phase as a PhD candidate. You’ll synthesize discipline-specific content with research designs and analysis methods to create a prospectus for a theoretically-based research study that focuses on furthering knowledge in the field of education. Whereas EdD research focuses on addressing a researchable problem with practical applications, PhD research has a focus on contribution to theory and the broader discipline of education. This course is begun only after all your foundation, specialization, and research courses have been completed, and your prospectus will likely become the foundation of your PhD dissertation. 

Students in this course will be required to complete chapter one of their dissertation proposal, including the following: a review of literature with substantiating evidence of the problem, the research purpose and questions, the intended methodological design and approach, and the significance of the study. A completed, committee-approved chapter one is required to pass the course. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval of chapter one.

In this course, you’ll work on completing chapters one to three of your dissertation proposal and receiving committee approval for the dissertation proposal (DP). Chapter two consists of the literature review, while chapter three covers the research methodology and design, including population, sample, measurement instruments, data collection and analysis, limitations, and ethical considerations. Completed, committee-approved chapters two and three are required to pass the course, as is a final approved dissertation proposal. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval of these requirements.

In this course, you’ll prepare, submit, and obtain approval of your Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. You’ll also collect data and submit a final study closure form to the IRB. If you’re still collecting data at the end of the 12-week course, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to complete data collection and file your IRB study closure form.

In this dissertation course, you’ll work on completing chapters four, five, and your final dissertation manuscript. Specifically, you’ll complete your data analysis, prepare your study results, and present your findings with an oral defense and a completed manuscript. A completed, committee-approved dissertation manuscript and successful oral defense are required to complete the course and graduate. If you don’t receive approval for either or both, you can take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval.

SEL-7100 Foundations of Social-Emotional Learning

Your examination of the fundamentals of social-emotional learning (SEL) will begin with theoretical support for the foundational concepts and how existing models and curricula reflect those theories, including the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. You’ll also explore essential questions around the relevance of SEL to all stages of human growth and development, and the role of SEL within or external to core curriculum.

SEL-7200 Implementing SEL in the Modern Classroom

This course examines what social-emotional learning (SEL) looks like in the modern classroom. You’ll look at ways to collaborate within professional learning communities around specific models, curricula, discipline, classroom management, and technology that support SEL in and out of the classroom. Throughout the course, you’ll consider the data needed for implementation and student assessment, and how that data can be collected, analyzed, and applied at multiple levels of aggregation.

SEL-7300 Integrating SEL in School Culture and Climate

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is for everyone and should be more than an isolated activity that happens in classrooms. A true SEL learning environment permeates the entire school, including its culture and climate, and reflects the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. In this course, you’ll explore the distinctions between culture and climate and the role SEL plays in each. You’ll also investigate your potential roles and the data you’ll need to integrate and assess SEL in school culture and climate.

SEL-7400 Incorporating SEL with Policy Development and Implementation

In this course, you’ll examine strategies to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) in the processes of policy development and implementation. Such policies and processes can exist in multiple areas, including school, local education agency, or regional, state, and national levels. As you examine alignment with established models for SEL, you’ll also investigate how policy development and implementation can benefit from the application of data analyses and the inclusion of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles.

SEL-7500 Involving Caregivers and Communities

Opportunities for social-emotional learning (SEL) exist throughout the human lifespan. While other courses have considered the roles of caregivers and communities, this one focuses on these roles and how SEL initiatives should reflect the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion across environments. You’ll examine models and strategies for extending SEL beyond the classroom, explore community benefits from SEL, and consider partnerships that could support SEL efforts. You’ll also investigate the types of data you would need to assess SEL initiatives beyond the classroom.

SEL-7600 Comprehensive Planning for SEL Initiatives 

This course supports your efforts to propose or support social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. You’ll synthesize your work in the previous courses to plan, implement, and assess social-emotional learning at the school level or beyond. You’ll also develop comprehensive proposals and plans for implementing and assessing SEL initiatives based on needs analyses, organizational culture, and other relevant factors. By the conclusion of the course, you’ll be prepared to propose new SEL initiatives or revise and improve existing ones.