The Return to In-Person School: Teacher Reports of Student Behavior and Social–Emotional Learning

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures greatly interfered in students’ social, emotional, and academic development creating behavioral struggles after returning to school. This concurrent mixed-methods study examined teacher perceptions of student behavioral change and social–emotional learning (SEL) during the return to in-person schooling in fall 2021. Teachers (N = 120) from a Midwestern state completed online surveys consisting of both closed and open-ended questions about student’s social, emotional, and academic behavior. Teachers also responded to questions about SEL program implementation in their schools before and during the pandemic. Teachers overwhelmingly reported worsened student behavior since returning to school. Content analysis revealed academic motivation struggles were most often reported, followed by social and emotional struggles, respectively. Additionally, teachers from schools with SEL programs were significantly less likely to report academic motivation struggles. Findings suggest that SEL programs may help mitigate COVID-related academic motivation struggles. Possibilities for future research on student behavior and SEL as the pandemic recedes are discussed.