“Teach what’s good for learners”: Adaptive teacher pedagogy for social and emotional learning in Malawi

Abstract

This article explores how teachers adapt to challenges when integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into classroom instruction in African contexts via a study in Malawi involving 42 teachers. Malawian teachers employ several discrete methods for SEL instruction, including teaching SEL vocabulary, making SEL-guided classroom rules, providing SEL behavior coaching, and using poetry and personalized greetings to foster positive self-concept and relationships. Various factors influence the use of these methods, including teachers’ beliefs about their roles and responsibilities, cultural norms, learner needs, assessment, and classroom constraints. Findings demonstrate that adaptive pedagogy enables teachers to stay committed to SEL despite challenges. Data AvailabilityParticipants of this study did not agree that their data be shared publicly, so supporting data is unavailable.