Courage in the Classroom: The Impact of Social Emotional Learning on Student Perceptions of Courage

This study was designed to examine the impact of involvement in social emotional learning (SEL) programming with a focus on student perceptions of courage. The results of a 2×2 ANOVA indicated that there was no significant difference between scores on SEL competencies for students not involved in a lesson driven SEL program compared to students who were. Female students (M = 3.451) had significantly higher scores than male students (M = 3.283), (F(1,155) = 13.301, p = .000, partial eta squared = .079). Four themes emerged regarding students’ perceptions of courage: (a) characteristics of integrity, (b) persistence, (c) what it takes to be courageous, and (d) cultivating courage at school.