Question
Social-Emotional Case Study
Promoting the social-emotional development of young children
is a major responsibility of any early childhood program. As
leaders in the field of early childhood education, we must not only
guide our students, but also lead by example for our colleagues to
ensure that we foster the development of self-concept,
self-control, cooperation, and relationships. Promoting these areas
of social-emotional development is critical for three reasons:
“Positive social-emotional development provides a base for
life-long learning.
Social skills and emotional self-regulation are integrally
related to later academic success in school.
Prevention of future social and behavioral difficulties is
more effective than later remediation.” (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2008, para 3).
To begin this discussion, choose one of the case studies below:
Case Study 1
“Four-year-old Gregory is an avid block builder. At free
play, he has busied himself with an elaborate construction of a
zoo. To complete his masterpiece, he needs an elusive Y-shaped
block. As he searches the room in vain for the last, crucial piece,
his initial calm hunt becomes more hurried and disorganized. He
begins to yell and disrupt other children’s play. Gregory sees that
his classmate Malik has the piece he wants. Gregory aggressively
approaches Malik, who looks frightened. His teacher approaches in
the nick of time and asks, “What’s the matter?” Gregory screams
that Malik has his block and then swiftly turns away to go after
the piece. Gregory’s teacher stops him from grabbing the block,
whereupon Gregory launches into a major tantrum. The tantrum
persists even though his teacher repeatedly tells him to “calm
down.” (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning, n.d., para. 2).
Case Study 2
“Keisha is 4 years old and loves to play at the computer. The
computer area is her first choice at center time, just about every
day. Today, Keisha is getting nervous because her teacher has
called upon most of the boys and girls to decide where they would
like to play first and Keisha notices that there is just one space
left at the computers. She starts to bounce a little with her hand
extended in the air and tries her best not to call out to the
teacher, “Me next!” When Keisha finally gets called on to make her
choice, she sees that the computer area is full. Keisha crosses her
arms across her chest and frowns. Her teacher asks, “Keisha, what
is the matter?” Keisha says, “I wanted to play on the computer.”
Her teacher replies, “Hmmm… they look full.” Keisha replies, “Yeah,
I’m frustrated and a little mad.” Her teacher responds, “You feel
frustrated and a little mad, huh? Well, that is a problem.” Keisha
begins to take some deep breaths and then proclaims, “I will go
play at the block corner until Bahta is done. Can you come tell me
when he is finished?” Her teacher replies, “I am so proud of you
for staying so calm and figuring out a solution to your problem.
Why don’t you ask Bahta to let you know when it is your turn?”
Keisha smiles at the suggestion and skips off to make the request
of Bahta.” (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for
Early Learning, n.d., para. 3).
Case Study 3
“Gregory’s teacher, Miss Antoinette, realized that Gregory
and some of his classmates needed help to develop skills in
labeling emotions. She started making a conscious effort to label
her feelings, as well as the feelings of children in her class
throughout the day—every day. She encouraged the other adults in
the room to do the same. She also planned at least one feeling
game, song, or story a day to introduce new and more complex
feeling words. She also taught the children some strategies for
regulating their emotions such as taking deep breaths, relaxing
their muscles, and thinking of “happy places.” When she saw Gregory
get upset, she would move in to ask him how he was feeling and help
him use some of the strategies for calming down. Over time, Miss
Antoinette noticed a significant difference in Gregory and his
peers’ behavior. The children would tell each other how they felt
instead of fighting and would help each other when in distress.
Miss Antoinette noticed that the children no longer needed her to
intervene to solve problems as often—but instead would solve them
on their own. She noticed that even for children like Keisha, who
had a strong foundation in labeling emotions, positive changes were
occurring. Miss Antoinette felt a sense of calm in her room and was
happy that she would be sending her children onto kindergarten with
a strong foundation in emotional literacy.” (Center on the Social
and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, n.d., para. 15).
(Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning, n.d.).
Initial Post: Address the points below:
Examine whether the teachers’ actions in the case study provided
an equitable and just learning environment for her students.
Explain whether you feel the solution the teacher used in the
case study was ethical by developing a coherent argument that is
supported by the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
Discuss how the strategies the teacher used were
developmentally appropriate. Support your thinking with the text,
developmental milestones (Appendix A of your textbook), and at
least one additional scholarly source.
Propose at least two things you would do next if you were the
teacher in the case study in order to continue fostering the
social-emotional development of the child(ren) in the case study.
Support your decision with at least one additional scholarly
source.
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