Conference Agenda

Evidence suggests that school-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have a positive impact on both children's academic and social-emotional skills (Corcoran et al., 2011; Durlak et al., 2011; Cipriano et al. 2023). These programs, particularly, prove highly beneficial for students at risk of educational setbacks (Jones et al., 2011), and have proven an effective tool for inclusive education (Mitchell & Sutherland, 2020). Notably, the impact of these programs is intrinsically tied to the quality of their implementation by educators (i.e. program implementation fidelity, Durlak & Dupre, 2008; Humphrey et al., 2018).

Despite extensive research identifying teacher and school context-related factors that influence the quality of SEL program implementation (Domitrovich et al., 2008; Durlak & Dupre, 2008; Kam et al., 2003), a consensus on which contextual factors are most pivotal or warrant the greatest emphasis remains elusive. Achieving such clarity is essential for addressing these factors with a concerted and informed approach, thus creating a more supportive context for implementing SEL programs effectively within schools and today’s inclusive reality.

In 2023, Ulla and Poom-Valickis (2023) published a systematic review and identified four categories of contextual factors that can influence implementation quality: program support, school, teacher, and student level factors. Their analysis focused on the relative importance of these factors and found that the most frequent statistically significant factors included modeling activities during coaching and teacher-coach working relationship.

The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG, Embry et al.., 2003) is an evidence-based prevention program implemented by teachers on the classroom level, which has been recognized by the Wallace Foundation as one of 33 leading SEL programs (Jones et al., 2021). PAX GBG is an SEL program implemented worldwide (Australia, Estonia, Ireland, Sweden, United States).

The current study takes on a qualitative approach and focuses on two distinct groups of teachers, categorized by the level of implementation quality (fidelity) of PAX GBG as assessed through an observer-rated checklist over the course of the school year in Estonia. The cases under examination consist of teachers with high fidelity and low fidelity in implementing the PAX Good Behavior Game. Those cases were selected to investigate the conditions and experiences that shape a context, determining varying degrees of positive impact on children within an inclusive classroom setting. Given that previous research exploring contextual factors influencing the quality implementation of evidence-based SEL programs has predominantly been quantitative in nature (Ulla & Poom-Valickis, 2023), the qualitative cross-case study aims to elucidate, validate, or challenge the theoretical assumptions advanced in prior research, to determine the relevant conditions for carrying out inclusion through this classroom level toolkit that is utilized worldwide.

The study thus seeks to add to the discussion about the relevance and concep­tualization of SEL program implementation quality (Berkel et al., 2011; Dane & Schneider, 1998; Durlak, 2016) and the teacher­ and school related factors that may contribute to that (Domitrovich et al., 2008; Durlak & DuPre, 2008).

Research questions:

RQ1: What are the characteristics of high and low fidelity cases?

RQ2: In what ways do the high and low fidelity cases differ in terms of their implementation experience (including contextual factors), and how do these differences contribute to variations in the quality of implementation of the PAX Good Behavior Game program?

The presumed uncertainty in current education derives from a variety of recent changes and challenges in the educational sector. Therefore, it seems necessary to address these challenges in combination rather than viewing them as separate topics. Two of the current issues contributing to complexity arise from (1) a growing heterogeneity of students and (2) the increasing digitalization of the education system. The aim of this research is to combine these fields by analyzing teachers’ use of learning management systems to differentiate instruction through a mixed methods approach.

With the increasingly diverse student population in schools, the establishment of inclusive classrooms has become a top international policy priority, emphasizing “concepts of efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and inclusion as a means of ensuring quality education for all” (Watkins, 2017, p. 1). In the sense of a broader understanding of inclusion that celebrates the diversity of all learners (ibid.), schools must become “more responsive to children with a diverse range of abilities, cultures, gender, religions, and other situations and issues that present in the classroom” (Loreman, 2017, p. 2). Differentiated instruction (DI) is considered as vehicle to achieve inclusive education that aims to meet students’ individual learning needs by maximizing learning opportunities. DI is defined as the intentional, systematically planned and reflected practices that enable teachers to meet the needs of all learners in heterogeneous classrooms (Letzel et al., 2020). Teachers can implement DI through a variety of instructional activities or didactical strategies such as, tiered assignments, student grouping, tutoring systems, staggered nonverbal material learning aids such as checklists, mastery learning and forms of open education like station-based work, interest-based centers, project-based learning, or portfolios.

Digital technologies, such as learning management systems (LMS), have the potential to improve, facilitate and support teachers in differentiating their instruction to the various learning needs of students (Cha & Ahn, 2014; Edmunds & Hartnett, 2014). LMS serve as digital communication platforms supporting processes of teaching and learning by providing and organizing learning material, offering direct and indirect forms of online communication, allowing for data-based diagnostics and assessment as well as personalized and cooperative learning (Brägger & Koch, 2021). LMS, if used sensibly, can foster an inclusive, effective learning environments and fuel processes of school and classroom. LMS, as a basic educational infrastructure, have a long history and thus a more prevalent use in universities than schools. However, literature on the application of digital technologies and resources for DI in general education settings appear to be on the rise. Considering the potential that LMS can have to support the differentiating of teaching, there has been multiple literature outputs that serve as guidelines or practical examples for teachers (Cha & Ahn, 2014; Palahicky, 2015). Furthermore, empirical studies have also been undertaken to explore how LMS fosters the establishment of student-centered learning environment (Edmunds & Hartnett, 2014) and support the differentiation of instruction (Vargas-Parra et al., 2018). Despite this body of scientific literature, there is still little research that focuses on investigating the specific differentiation practices that teachers use within online learning environments such as LMS (Beck & Beasley, 2021). Against this background, the present study tackles this research gap and aims to examine how distinct DI practices are applied using LMS. The research question guiding this study is: Which DI practices do teachers apply within LMS and how often?

As we gear our collective efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the notion of 'missing data' in education recurs throughout, especially in the context of the Global South. We are often unaware of the learning situation in many resource-constrained settings even as global data regimes continue to proliferate. In response, this paper introduces the concept of 'infra-data', based on our practice in Pakistan, to identify the often-overlooked wealth of educational evidence that lies beneath the surface of traditional metrics for education.

Drawing from theoretical frameworks like James C. Scott's 'hidden transcripts' and Aníbal Quijano's 'coloniality of knowledge', this study illuminates infra-data as a window into the 'unseen' yet impactful educational practices that emerge from localized knowledge, pedagogies, and ways of thinking. Infra-data would allow us to explore the epistemic frames in which these practices are encoded. Utilizing Shaffer’s quantitative ethnography, we dive into infra-data, providing a window into diverse pedagogical approaches across the Global South. In this research, we delve into the case of Siyani Sahelian Program by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, a second chance education program on accelerated learning reaching 50 thousand out-of-school adolescent girls across Punjab, Pakistan. By analyzing secondary data from Siyani Sahelian program, we aim to shed light on the definition, measurement, and integration of learning impact from the learner communities. This approach not only offers insights specific to the Pakistani context but also contributes to a broader understanding by providing a comparative perspective on localized vs global mainstream education narratives and perspectives.