Social and Emotional Learning in Classrooms: A Survey of Teachers’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices

The Possibility of Applying the Social-Emotional Learning Model in Teaching of Primary Teachers: A Vietnamese Case Study

<p style="text-align:justify">Although the social-emotional learning model (SEL) has been researched in Vietnam for many years, studies on teachers' SEL-based teaching competence have not been the focus. This study explored the possibility of applying the SEL model to the teaching of Vietnamese primary school teachers. Our case study of 50 teachers who participated in previous SEL projects highlights three factors that prevented successful SEL application in Vietnamese schools, including (a) confusion about the SEL-based teaching perspective, (b) traditional teaching methods, (c) limited training in social-emotional skills, and mental health policies for primary school teachers. The findings have broadened and deepened our understanding of the possibility of successful application of the SEL model in the classroom, which would depend on SEL-based professional supervision, consistency in SEL-based teaching methods and SEL practice guides/manuals, and promotion or adaptation of policies for SEL-based practice and application in schools.</p>

A case study addressing trauma needs during COVID-19 remote learning from an ecological systems theory framework

Mental health conditions related to trauma among American children are a concern, particularly because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children, as students, carry the trauma they encounter with them into the classroom. Students impacted by trauma learn differently due to effects on the brain that relate to several impairments, causing them to perform poorly in school. However, teachers may not always understand this issue. This case study shows how certain dynamics within the EST layers impacted one school during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers at the school experienced a trauma-informed online PD and SEL program intended to improve student outcomes, teacher perceptions, and teacher–student relationships. The six participants included teachers in a K-8 low-income, minority population charter school. The assessment tools used were the Teacher–Student Relationship Scale, Teacher Perception Scale, and Student Outcomes Survey. The teachers’ outlook on SEL improved, particularly online. This improvement helped the teachers implement community circles and SEL infused with mindfulness in their online classrooms, which may have helped them maintain their relationships with the students and may have helped the students with academic and stress outcomes. During unprecedented times, the maintenance, rather than the deterioration, of student outcomes and teacher–student relationships is an accomplishment and an area that necessitates further research.

I can teach what's in the book": Understanding the why and how behind teachers' implementation of a social-emotional learning (SEL) focused curriculum in rural

Contextualizing the role of teachers in social-emotional learning (SEL) in Malawi, we examine how teachers' comfort with, commitment to, and perceived school culture toward SEL relate to their actual teaching of it. Using surveys from 432 primary school teachers (20-60 years old), we found teacher comfort and supportive school culture were positively related to integration of SEL into classroom instruction, while commitment had no statistically significant relationship with implementation. We explore plausible explanations for these findings by interviewing 42 teachers. Together, our findings highlight the importance of teacher support systems and cultural compatibility of the curriculum for successful SEL implementation.

A Mixed-Methods Approach to Investigating Social and Emotional Learning at Schools: Teachers' Familiarity, Beliefs, Training, and Perceived School Culture

Education advocates argue that effective schools should foster multidimensional educational goals that not only include cognitive but also non-cognitive outcomes. One important non-cognitive outcome are social and emotional skills. Previous research showed that for enhancing students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) one of the most important factor is the teacher. Hence, the present study investigated teachers’ familiarity, beliefs, training, and perceived school culture with regard to social and emotional learning and its facets self-awareness, self-management, and social-awareness by applying a convergent parallel mixed-method design. We conducted in-depth interviews and an online survey with secondary teachers from different countries. The reason for collecting both qualitative and quantitative data was to obtain different but complementary data on the same topic in order to bring greater insight into this research question than would have been obtained by either type of data separately. Teachers reported an uncertainty and a lack of professional skills and knowledge in delivering SEL instructions that was particularly low for self-awareness and self-management. Therefore, in both study parts, teachers expressed strong interest in receiving professional SEL training. However, schools rarely provide resources (instruction materials, specific courses or activities) or create conditions (training teachers, devoting teaching hours, increasing number of counselors at schools, receiving school administration support), that would promote teachers’ instruction of SEL. The results do not only add to researchers’ knowledge about teachers’ SEL familiarity, beliefs, training, and school culture, but are also relevant for policymakers, administrators, and school staff by identifying critical aspects that prevent successful SEL in schools.

Early Childhood Teachers' Perspectives on Social-Emotional Competence and Learning in Urban Classrooms

The promotion of social emotional competence (SEC) and implementation of social emotional learning (SEL) programs have increased substantially in schools, however little is known about teachers' perceptions of such programs. This qualitative study explored early childhood (three- to eight-year-old) teachers' perceptions of classroom-based social-emotional programs for young, urban-dwelling children. A focus of the study included learning what teachers believe were the critical components and challenges of such programs. Five themes emerged from the content analysis: Responsibility, Curricula/Program Design, Contextual Relevance, Support, and Barriers. The findings from this study are discussed in regards to educational policy implications about SEL curricula and programs, especially those implemented in urban schools.

Assessing Teachers’ Beliefs About Social and Emotional Learning

Teachers are the primary implementers of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. Their beliefs about SEL likely influence program delivery, evaluation, and outcomes. A simple tool for measuring these beliefs could be used by school administrators to determine school readiness for SEL programming and by researchers to better understand teacher variables that impact implementation fidelity and program outcomes. In a two-phase study, we developed and then validated a parsimonious measure of teachers’ beliefs about SEL. In Phase 1, survey items were administered to 935 teachers and subjected to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in three reliable scales pertaining to teachers’ comfort with teaching SEL, commitment to learning about SEL, and perceptions about whether their school culture supports SEL. Phase 2 provided evidence for the concurrent and predictive validity of the scales with a subsample of teachers implementing an SEL program as part of a randomized controlled trial. The discussion focuses on the value of measuring teachers’ beliefs about SEL from both researcher and practitioner perspectives.