This research is grounded in social-emotional learning (SEL) theory and the belief that student engagement is closely tied to emotional well-being, relationships, and a sense of belonging. It also draws from constructivist perspectives, emphasizing that learning occurs through social interaction and shared experiences. Morning meetings embody these frameworks by creating structured opportunities for students to connect, communicate, and collaboratively build classroom community, which in turn supports academic participation and success.
Participants
The study included 24 fifth grade students within the researcher’s classroom. Student ages ranged from ten to eleven years old. There were nine females and 15 males. Participation was voluntary, and all students were informed about the use of their responses before completing the survey.
Timeline
Over the course of eight weeks, teacher created morning meeting Google Slides were used as a template to introduce each week’s topic and guide the share out discussion in class. These slides included a poll of the day, a quote of the day, a character trait example, reminders, and a short social emotional regulation video to set the tone. Google Forms were used to collect survey data on students’ feelings about classroom community, teacher connections, and academic engagement.
The study was divided into three phases. During Weeks 1 to 3, morning meetings emphasized classroom community through greetings, partner shares, and whole class discussions focused on peer interaction and inclusion. Students reflected on questions such as What does being part of a strong classroom community mean to you? At the end of this phase, Survey 1 asked whether students felt more connected to their classmates, provided opportunities to share examples, and gathered feedback on confidence in classroom participation.
In Weeks 4 to 5, the focus shifted to teacher student connections. Teachers modeled by sharing personal stories and invited students to reflect on how those relationships supported their learning. Prompts included What is one way your teacher helps you feel supported in the classroom? Survey 2, administered at the end of Week 5, explored whether morning meetings improved student teacher connections, how students would feel if the meetings were discontinued, and what aspects they valued most.
Finally, during Weeks 6 to 8, morning meetings centered on academic engagement. Discussions included goal setting, confidence in school tasks, and strategies for academic readiness. Students reflected on prompts such as What is one way morning meetings help you focus during class? Survey 3, administered at the end of this phase, asked students how morning meetings prepared them for classwork and assessments, whether they believed it improved their academic performance, and how it impacted their motivation.
Data Collection
To gather insights on students’ experiences, three Google Form surveys were administered over the eight week period along with qualitative data from a teacher researcher journal. Each survey was aligned with the weekly focus on community, teacher connection, and academic engagement and invited students to reflect on their enjoyment, sense of belonging, confidence, and perceptions of support. By varying the focus while maintaining key overlapping questions, the study tracked consistent patterns and emerging themes related to classroom community, teacher student relationships, and learning engagement.
Data Analysis
Survey responses and researcher journal notes were organized and analyzed in Google Sheets to identify recurring themes and patterns. Written responses were coded for common ideas relating to community, connection, and engagement. The teacher researcher journal provided additional qualitative insights into student behaviors and remarks during morning meetings. This systematic approach allowed for the identification of both patterns and growth over time, yielding a comprehensive understanding of how daily morning meetings influenced students’ sense of community, their relationship with their teacher, and their academic engagement.
Results
The student survey responses and reflections reveal a plethora of meaningful insights. The findings of this research were analyzed to answer the research question: What is the impact of daily morning meeting on students’ sense of community in school, connection to their teacher, and engagement in their academic learning?
Feeling Connected to the Classroom Community
According to the data, students felt that beginning their day with morning meeting allowed them to feel significantly connected to their classroom community. When polled about whether morning meetings made students feel more connected and comfortable, an overwhelming 91.7 percent of students responded "yes" (Survey 2). This strong majority indicates that morning meeting plays a significant role in fostering a sense of belonging and emotional safety within the classroom. The data suggests that students who feel more connected in their classroom community are more inclined to participate in class due to the implementation of daily morning meetings.
Similar ideas were represented in the qualitative data. On Survey 1, a student reported, “When we share out how our day is, and it makes me feel more connected. I found out people have similar likes and dislikes as me.” Morning meeting allowed students to see other students’ perspectives, which may be different than their own. Another student response was, “It helps me feel more connected because in poll of the day I can know what other people like and don’t like and they can have the same mindset as me” (Survey 2). This highlights how students feel more connected to one another from morning meeting. Allowing students to see peers with similar interests helps them feel more connected within the classroom community and even create friendships with peers they may not have realized shared common interests. One more student reported, “When we share what we did over the weekend, we get to be connected if maybe we went to the same place over the weekend or something funny happened when u [sic] hung out with your friend/friends” (Survey 2). These connected moments may not necessarily arise naturally over the academic day without the structure of morning meetings.
Strengthening Student Teacher Connections
Integrating morning meeting into the daily classroom routine helped students to feel a stronger connection to their teacher. When polled, 87.5 percent of students felt they had a better connection to their teacher by participating in morning meetings to begin their day (Survey 3). The results highlight the effectiveness of morning meeting not only in reinforcing social emotional learning but also in cultivating an inclusive classroom atmosphere where students feel heard and respected.
As reported in the teacher researcher journal, Monday morning share outs during morning meeting often revealed students’ weekend events, which allowed them to make connections with their teacher if they both went to the beach, a theme park, or even a restaurant. For example, one student highlighted that they had sushi for dinner, and the teacher had sushi as well over the weekend. The student’s smile emphasized the connection being made.
Students also reported feeling a deeper connection to their teachers when personal experiences and interests were shared during morning meeting. One student responded, “Once my teacher said that over the weekend, he went to see Wicked and I just booked my Wicked Broadway show ticket, so I felt connected as we share the same love of Wicked” (Survey 3). Morning meeting creates a shared experience where every person is heard and valued. When a teacher models openness and takes time to connect personally, it allows a supportive bond to be built, creating a more respectful, collaborative classroom culture. This was reinforced by another student who shared, “It helps me feel more connected to my teacher because sometimes he shares what he did over the weekend and sometimes it was the same as what I did over the weekend too” (Survey 3). Allowing students to have an open dialogue with their teacher may contribute to cultivating deeper connections and respect within the classroom and may also reduce disruptive behavior.
Boosting Academic Participation
Students also reported feeling more engaged in their own learning when morning meeting was implemented in the classroom daily. When students were asked to reflect on their thoughts about participation encouragement, the data showed growth over time. On Survey 1, 58.3 percent of students said morning meeting allowed them to participate more, but by the end of the eight weeks, 75 percent of students reported feeling more comfortable participating in classroom activities (Survey 3). This suggests that morning meeting helped create a supportive and inclusive environment that boosted student confidence and engagement.
Morning meetings were also shown to positively influence classroom confidence. When asked if morning meetings encouraged them to participate more often, a student remarked, “It allows me to feel more confident in sharing and talking in front of my classmates and it makes me feel comfortable by being able to relate to my classmates” (Survey 2). Allowing students the freedom to share their thoughts and ideas created a sense of security that carried into academic settings. Another student responded, “Yes because sometimes when I read out loud, I get a little nervous and I mess up, but I feel like when I share out it, I don’t get nervous and now when I read aloud I feel more secure” (Survey 2). A third student shared, “The morning meeting prepares me because I’m participating in morning meeting so I’m ready to participate the entire day” (Survey 2). These comments emphasize how morning meeting builds confidence, setting students up to engage more fully in learning.
Students also reported that morning meeting made them more successful academically. In the teacher researcher journal, one student remarked, “Morning meeting lets me talk and connect with friends in the morning, and we can even study for tests when we walk in” (Week 8). Morning meeting helped set a positive tone for the day, fostering focus, confidence, and readiness that supported learning and performance.
Students also indicated that morning meeting allowed them to feel more confident and prepared to begin the school day. On Survey 2, students rated their preparedness on a five point scale, with an average rating of 3.67. More than half selected a four or five, indicating they felt well prepared and confident to start their day. Only a small percentage gave lower ratings, suggesting that most found morning meetings at least somewhat beneficial. This shows that morning meeting provides a structured and supportive environment that allows students to ease into learning, build self assurance, and establish a positive mindset for the day ahead.
The results of this action research study show that daily morning meeting has a positive impact on students’ sense of community, connection to their teacher, and engagement in academic learning. Through both quantitative survey data and qualitative open-ended student reflections, it became clear that students feel more connected, more confident, and more ready to begin their day when morning meeting is a part of their instructional routine. Morning meeting helped students feel seen, heard, and supported, not just by their peers, but also by their teacher. These interactions create a safe space where students are encouraged to take risks, participate in class discussions, and build meaningful relationships that support their overall academic success.
As the eight-week study progressed, students expressed growing comfort with sharing in class and a stronger sense of belonging, which ultimately translated into increased academic participation. Students not only reported feeling better prepared for their school day, but many also stated that morning meeting helped improve their mood, focus, and ability to connect classroom learning to their daily experiences.
Overall, this research highlights the importance of making space for morning meeting in the classroom schedule. When students begin their day in a structured, supportive, and student-centered environment, it sets a positive tone for learning that lasts all day. Morning meeting is more than a way to start the day, they are a powerful tool for building community, strengthening relationships, and creating classrooms where all students feel ready and motivated to learn.
Implications
Moving forward, I plan to keep integrating morning meeting into my daily schedule for students, always with careful planning and consideration of the world around us. As new topics, character education programs, and celebrations arise, I plan to continue to see these as opportunities to allow students to share their thoughts and feelings with one another. Taking the time in the morning to have a routine and a clear set of expectations sets the tone for the rest of the school day, branching off into the entire school year. Daily morning meeting is more than a time slot on a schedule, they are a time for students to interact with one another, share opinions and ideas, and make lasting connections with another and their educators.
I strive to make it a priority to keep morning meeting conversations fresh and engaging by centering student voice and incorporating topics that reflect their current interests. Each day, I invite students to suggest and discuss what's meaningful to them, whether it’s the latest blockbuster movie, a newly released video game or gadget, or a trending book launch. These conversations not only ignite excitement but also build classroom community, encourage self-expression, and create space for students to feel seen and heard. By elevating student voice and staying in tune with their world, I foster a classroom culture where participation is meaningful, and relationships are strengthened.
Morning meeting also serves as a bridge for students to make both social and academic connections. By discovering shared interests with their peers, students begin to form friendships and strengthen their sense of belonging. At the same time, discussing relevant topics encourages them to think critically, draw connections to what they’re learning, and start their day with a sense of purpose. This intentional space supports not only emotional well-being but also cognitive engagement, setting a positive tone for the rest of the school day.
Action research should be a continuous cycle in the field of education. Sharing my findings of morning meeting with my school community and beyond is a powerful way to continue best practice in teacher education. A phenomenal educator that I know once told me a quote that has always stuck with me, “A teacher’s best resource is another teacher.” This quote holds true to the entire field of education because we can constantly learn from other educators to better our teaching practice and try new engaging techniques to innovate education for children. I believe the field of education is an ever-evolving process, one that needs to be recorded, studied, and improved upon yearly. As humans we learn new things every day and that especially reigns true in the field of education. We can learn new ideas, lessons, pedagogy, content, and evolving new technology tools to help our field become better and more powerful.
Action research allows educators from all over the world to see and hear about teacher best practice and innovative tactics. Communicating our results whether positive or negative allows for open conversations to continue to push education forward and always improve our practices.
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