70 THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL DEVICES ON SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING Jamie Farber, EdD Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2021, VOL. 5, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd Introduction Educators have focused much attention on social-emotional learning (SEL) in recent years as demonstrated by national publications devoted to the topic of SEL (AASA, 2018; ASCD, 2018; Learning Forward, 2018). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2017) is one organization that provides a common framework for identifying and defining SEL competencies. CASEL (2017) describes five SEL competencies: selfawareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. With the heightened awareness of students’ socialemotional skills, some researchers have speculated that the decline of various skills may be related to the superconnectedness of today’s youth (Borba, 2016; Dunckley, 2015; Kardaras, 2016; Turkle, 2015; Twenge, 2017). According to the Pew Research Center (2018), 95% of teens aged 13-17 own a smartphone. Additionally, Twenge (2017) noted that high school students spend approximately 6 hours a day on digital media, while eighth graders spend about 5 hours a day on digital media. Although the digital era has provided new opportunities for entertainment, accessing information, and ways to communicate, researchers have also wondered about individuals’ inability to be alone, to concentrate, or to focus on tasks at-hand (Carr, 2010; Turkle, 2015; Twenge, 2017). With the popularity of digital devices and digital media, youth reportedly spend less time communicating via face-to-face conversation (Borba, 2016; Dunckley, 2015; Kardaras, 2016; Turkle, 2015; Twenge, 2017). According to the Pew Research Center (2015), in 2015, teens aged 13-17 sent a median of 30 texts per day. While texting and social media may increase connection opportunities with others not in our presence, researchers have questioned how digital devices have affected communication with those who are directly in our presence (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2012; Turkle, 2015). Students explained to Turkle (2015) that texting itself is not a poor form of communication, but tending to text messages may distract from face-to-face conversation in the present. Communicating effectively is an example of one social-emotional skill under the SEL competency identified as relationship skills (CASEL, 2017). As the digital environment becomes more pervasive, one may wonder if there is a direct connection to the socialemotional skills of today’s youth. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the student’s digital environment and their social-emotional skills. Additionally, the current study surveyed students about preferred methods of communication to determine if a correlation existed between their communication habits and their socialemotional skills. If there are quantifiable relationships between these variables, then this may provide direction for districts and campuses in determining how to address SEL in schools. Summary of Study While qualitative research exists surrounding digital devices and youth struggles, the current study employed a quantitative design to determine if there is a relationship between a student’s digital environment and defined social-emotional skills. In the non-experimental, correlational study, the researcher utilized two survey instruments, the Digital Environment Survey for Youth
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