10/28/2022
By James Nehring

The School of Education invites you to attend an Ph.D. Dissertation Defense by Dawn Chappell on “Relational Elective Inclusion: Supporting Social and Emotional Learning for Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities in Extracurricular Programming.”

Date: Monday, Nov. 14, 2022
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Coburn 268. This will be a hybrid dissertation defense, meaning both in-person and remote. Those interested in attending remotely should contact James_nehring@uml.edu to request access to the Zoom link.

Dissertation Chair: James Nehring, Ed.D., Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Stacy Szczesiul, Ed.D., Associate Dean, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Hilary Lustick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
Recent trends in elementary and secondary education have emphasized social and emotional learning (SEL), as well as inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). SEL-focused educational practices have well-documented benefits for all students, and these benefits may be especially important for students with IDD who may have limited opportunities to develop SEL capabilities without support from school staff. Building on theoretical frameworks in both capability theory and critical disability theory, this research explores how educators create elective extracurricular opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to develop the social and emotional capabilities that the students find personally valuable. Utilizing interviews and observations, this qualitative research study investigated the perspectives and practices of staff in Best Buddies extracurricular programs during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years. This three-article dissertation describes how Best Buddies program staff reported supporting SEL capabilities, illuminates how SEL programming for students with IDD continued remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides insight into instructional practices observed in a highly effective Best Buddies program. In implications for future research, policy, and practice, this dissertation suggests a model for relational elective inclusion that supports students with IDD in achieving social and emotional well-being in inclusive extracurricular programming.