Date of Award
Spring 2026
Language
English
Embargo Period
5-15-2026
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College/School/Department
Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology
Program
Educational Psychology and Methodology
First Advisor
Kimberly Colvin
Committee Members
Kimberly Colvin, Tammy Ellis-Robinson
Keywords
social-emotional learning, Indonesian contextualized instrument, SEL assessment tool development
Subject Categories
Educational Psychology
Abstract
As social-emotional learning (SEL) becomes increasingly integrated into the Indonesian national curriculum, a significant gap remains regarding culturally grounded tools to measure student progress. Current assessments often rely on Western-centric frameworks that prioritize individualistic traits over the collectivist values—such as communal harmony and the 5S tradition—prevalent in Indonesian schools. This study aimed to develop and provide initial item generation for a localized SEL assessment tool for primary school students (Grades 1–3). Utilizing a Deductive Qualitative Analysis (DQA) design, the research drew upon the CASEL framework for structural alignment while employing inductive methods to ensure cultural relevance. Data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured interviews with six elementary school teachers in Surabaya and Gresik, Indonesia. The qualitative findings revealed a distinct cultural pivot toward "group harmony" and "social order" as primary indicators of social-emotional competence, in contrast to the individual assertiveness often emphasized in Western SEL models. The results of this study led to the development of two distinct instruments: the Indonesian SEL Behavioral Checklist, a 32-item binary screening tool for early screening, and the Situational SEL Assessment, a Likert-scale tool for formative progress monitoring. By establishing a "culturally conscious measurement" approach, this research provides Indonesian educators with a technically rigorous and culturally affirming framework to systematically monitor students' social-emotional development. Future research is recommended to involve broader geographic samples across Indonesia’s 38 provinces to further establish the psychometric validity and generalizability of the tools, and to include pilot testing of the developed assessment.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Agustin, Nisrina Nurika, "Initial Development of Contextualized Social-Emotional Learning Assessment Tool for the Indonesian School" (2026). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 459.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/459