Emotional Learning Research Articles

The Smart Cookie Project

PurposeThis practitioner-focused article highlights a collaborative, school-wide project at a PDS that showcased elementary students’ strengths and talents. Based on the children’s book, The Smart Cookie (John, 2021), teachers and the university professor-in-residence developed professional learning communities, which inspired the creation of a space for all students to demonstrate ways in which they were “smart cookies” that aligned with our comprehensive mission of promoting inclusive practices.Design/methodology/approachRooted in professional learning communities, teachers at our PDS spent the first half of the school year learning about chosen topics of social–emotional learning, stamina and neurodiversity. The Smart Cookie Project was created to demonstrate the connections between these topics. Students at the PDS were given the opportunity to create an original project that showcased their creativity, interests and talents. Projects were then displayed during a schoolwide showcase.FindingsThe impact of the project and the showcase demonstrated the importance of creating opportunities for both teacher and student innovation. The project brought the community together, allowed students to be viewed through strengths-based perspectives, helped teachers see how their own learning can positively impact their practice and emphasized the need for honoring student choice in the classroom.Originality/valueThe project discussed here can lend itself to fellow PDSs looking to adopt innovative instructional approaches, honor inclusive practices and situate students in places of strength.

The role of teachers’ social and emotional competence in implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum in Malawi

Social and emotional learning (SEL) enhances children's academic and life achievements when implemented well. While previous studies explored factors influencing teachers’ implementation of SEL, limited attention has been given to the role of their social and emotional competence (SEC). To address this gap, this study analyzed surveys from 434 primary school teachers in Malawi using hierarchical linear modeling. The findings reveal a positive relationship between teachers’ SEC, specifically in emotion regulation and relationship management, and their integration of SEL in daily classroom instruction. Notably, teachers serve as behavioral role models through socialization, communication, and emotional conduct. Strengthening teachers’ SEC, in conjunction with SEL pedagogy training, could help foster SEL-rich school environments for learners in Malawi and similar contexts.

Emotions in Language Learning: Understanding Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety in Higher Education

The significant role of emotions in learning was reemphasized during school and university closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, upon returning to campus, cognitive learning outcomes have reclaimed a dominating position in the university curriculum, while affective learning appears to have been disregarded. The present study contributes to the discussion on the significance of social-emotional learning in higher education. Therefore, the primary objective of this inquiry is to trace the perceived levels of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) in order to understand factors which contribute to their emergence. The research sample comprises 108 Polish university students majoring in English and enrolled in a bachelor’s programme. The findings demonstrate that language enjoyment is more prevalent among participants than language anxiety. The causes of language enjoyment are associated with teacher-student and peer-peer interactions as well as the classroom atmosphere, while language anxiety is reported to be linked to the fear of negative evaluation of students’ academic performance, test anxiety, and communication apprehension. These results suggest that English Department students are not exempt from experiencing language classroom anxiety, and engaging in practical English classes may be a source of a range of positive and negative emotions.

‘Where are you from?’ The affective and emotional dimensions of an ambiguous event of everyday racism

This article discusses the various affective and emotional dimensions of how racialised individuals understand and cope with the ambiguous question of ‘Where are you (really) from?’ Theoretically, the article argues that people do not necessarily ‘comprehend’ racism but sense it, and that it is through affects and being affected that they understand the nature of an encounter. Empirically, the article is based on 21 in-depth interviews conducted with Black Germans, and it analyses respondents’ reflections on and ‘emotion memories’ of being asked the question of ‘Where are you from?’ Only a few respondents said that they had consciously decided to always regard the question as ‘normal’ and thus to ‘switch off their sensitivity’. Overall, when asked this question, interviewees relied on ‘affective thinking-feeling’ to determine whether there was racism to be sensed. By analysing respondents’ narratives of particular episodes in which they were asked the question, the article proposes that a specific assemblage and affective intensities are the main conditions for immediately sensing racism in and through the question. In addition, the article discusses interviewees’ range of response options and why and when respondents may engage in ‘emotion work’ when responding to the question. The article concludes by highlighting different types of emotions associated with sensing racism through the question, particularly the emotions of unease, discomfort, and disappointment that can lead to feelings of non-belonging.

Anhedonia reflects an encoding deficit for pleasant stimuli in schizophrenia: Evidence from the emotion-induced memory trade-off eye-tracking paradigm.

The present study explored the hypothesis that anhedonia reflects an emotional memory impairment for pleasant stimuli, rather than diminished hedonic capacity in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). Participants included 30 SZ and 30 healthy controls (HCs) subjects who completed an eye-tracking emotion-induced memory trade-off task where contextually relevant pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral items were inserted into the foreground of neutral background scenes. Passive viewing and poststimulus elaboration blocks were administered to assess differential encoding mechanisms, and immediate and 1-week recognition testing phases were completed to assess the effects of delay interval. Participants also made self-reports of positive emotion, negative emotion, and arousal in response to the stimuli. Results indicated that SZ experienced stimuli similarly to HC. Both groups demonstrated the typical emotion-induced memory trade-off during the passive viewing and poststimulus elaboration encoding blocks, as indicated by more hits for emotional than neutral items and fewer hits for backgrounds paired with emotional than neutral items. Eye-tracking data also indicated that both groups were more likely to fixate earlier and have longer dwell time on emotional than neutral items. At the 1-week delay, the emotion-induced memory trade-off was eliminated in both groups, and SZ showed fewer overall hits across valence conditions. Greater severity of anhedonia was specifically associated with impaired recognition for pleasant stimuli at the immediate recognition phase. Findings suggest that anhedonia in SZ is associated with emotional memory impairment, particularly a deficit in encoding positive stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Breathing life into social emotional learning programs: A Bio-Psycho-Social approach to risk reduction and positive youth development.

Over one-third of USadolescents engage in health risk and problem behaviors. Additionally, significant percentages of problem-free youth aren't flourishing. Left unaddressed, the lifetime mental/physical health and financial burdens may be substantial. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs have proliferated to address the drivers of adaptive versus risk behaviors. Research suggests SEL/PYD program outcomes can be improved by adding techniques that physiologically induce calmness, yet few studies exist. This randomized controlled trial of 79 urban eighth-graders examined a standardized bio-psycho-social program, SKY Schools, which incorporates a physiologically calming component: controlled yogic breathing. Repeated-measures ANOVAs demonstrated that compared to controls, SKY graduates exhibited significant improvements in emotion regulation, planning and concentration, and distractibility. After 3 months, significant improvements were evidenced in emotion regulation, planning and concentration, identity formation, and aggressive normative beliefs. SEL/PYD programs may benefit by incorporating biologically-calming techniques to enhance well-being and prevent risk/problem behaviors.

Teacher SEL Space: Addressing Beginning Teachers’ Social Emotional Learning in a Support Group Structure

There is evidence that ongoing social emotional learning (SEL) needs among teachers negatively impact teacher retention and student learning.  At the same time, teachers’ SEL has been insufficiently addressed in teacher preparation.  As a consequence, preservice and early-career teachers often lack the tools, perspective, and support to address their own SEL needs. The article describes a pilot project where current candidates and recent graduates in a teacher preparation program came together in an ongoing support group structure to share struggles, successes, and initiatives, support and advise each other, and reflect on their ongoing journey.  After a review of the literature on teachers’ SEL needs, gaps and models in teacher preparation, and the potential benefits of support groups, data from the pilot “SEL Space” meetings are presented and discussed, with an emphasis on thematic patterns, evolution over time, and participants’ reflection on the process. Implications for practice and research are presented.

Inclusion, Equality and Educational Justice: Enhancing Social-Emotional Learning through Children’s Literature in a Diverse and Segregated Society

Children’s literature is an essential channel for providing children with social-emotional skills. This is particularly so in diverse and segregated societies where the need for enhancing awareness and acceptance of the Other is acute. Based on the content and semiotic analysis of 25 titles included in the state program “March of Books,” the present study examines how, if at all, social-emotional skills are reflected in the Hebrew-language children’s literature in Israel. Since the selected titles reflect all skill categories determined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the findings indicate that these selected titles can support children’s social-emotional learning (SEL). Nevertheless, the selected titles lack focus on a specific category within each text. Moreover, in a manner typical of Jewish-Israeli education, the selected titles expose young readers to their specific cultures and others through translated literature that highlights gender, Jewish-ethnic, physical, and age equality. At the same time, the selected titles tend to marginalize the culture of the Arab minority. The article concludes that education programs seeking to promote SEL through children’s literature must balance all SEL categories, represent the learners’ social differences, expose the readers to other cultures, and inculcate pluralist values.

Secondary cerebro-cerebellar and intracerebellar dysfunction in cerebellar mutism syndrome.

Cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) is characterized by deficits of speech, movement, and affect that can occur following tumor removal from the posterior fossa. The role of cerebrocerebellar tract injuries in the etiology of CMS remains unclear, with recent studies suggesting that cerebrocerebellar dysfunction may be related to chronic, rather than transient, symptomatology. We measured functional connectivity between the cerebellar cortex and functional nodes throughout the brain using fMRI acquired after tumor removal but prior to adjuvant therapy in a cohort of 70 patients diagnosed with medulloblastoma. Surgical lesions were mapped to the infratentorial anatomy, and connectivity with cerebral cortex was tested for statistical dependence on extent of cerebellar outflow pathway injury. CMS diagnosis was associated with an increase in connectivity between the right cerebellar and left cerebral hemisphere, maximally between cerebellum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VM-PFC). Connectivity dependence on cerebellar outflow was significant for some speech nodes but not for VM-PFC, suggesting altered input to the cerebellum. Connectivity between posterior regions of cerebellar cortex and ipsilateral dentate nuclei was abnormal in CMS participants, maximally within the right cerebellar hemisphere. The functional abnormalities we identified are notably upstream of where causal surgical injury is thought to occur, indicating a secondary phenomenon. The VM-PFC is involved in several functions that may be relevant to the symptomatology of CMS, including emotional control and motor learning. We hypothesize that these abnormalities may reflect maladaptive learning within the cerebellum consequent to disordered motor and limbic function by the periaqueductal grey and other critical midbrain targets.

HSR24-141: Personalizing the Patient Experience: Understanding the Emotional State and Learning Preferences of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Receiving Multidisciplinary Care.

HSR24-141: Personalizing the Patient Experience: Understanding the Emotional State and Learning Preferences of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Receiving Multidisciplinary Care.

The relationship between construction workers’ emotional intelligence and safety performance

PurposeConstruction enterprises are achieving the goal of production safety by increasingly focusing on the critical factor of “human” and the impact of individual characteristics on safety performance. Emotional intelligence is categorized into three models: skill-based, trait-based and emotional learning systems. However, the mechanism of action and the internal relationship between emotional intelligence and safety performance must be further studied. This study intends to examine the internal mechanism of emotional intelligence on safety performance in construction projects, which would contribute to the safety management of construction enterprises.Design/methodology/approachA structural equation model exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and safety performance is developed, with political skill introduced as an independent dimension, situational awareness presented as a mediator, and management safety commitment introduced as a moderator. Data were collected by a random questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 26.0. The structural equation model tested the mediation hypothesis, and the PROCESS macro program tested the moderated mediation hypothesis.FindingsThe results showed that construction workers' emotional intelligence directly correlates with safety performance, and situational awareness plays a mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and the safety performance of construction workers. Management safety commitment weakens the positive predictive relationships between emotional intelligence and situational awareness and between emotional intelligence and safety performance.Originality/valueThis research reveals a possible impact of emotional intelligence on safety performance. Adding political skills to the skill-based model of emotional intelligence received a test pass. Political skill measures the sincere and cooperative skills of construction workers. Using people as a critical element plays a role in the benign mechanism of “Emotional Intelligence – Situational Awareness – Safety Performance.” Improving emotional intelligence skills through training, enhancing situational awareness, understanding, anticipation and coordination and activating management environment factors can improve safety performance. Construction enterprises should evaluate and train workers' emotional intelligence to improve workers' situational awareness and safety performance.

Promoting social and emotional learning in pupils with disability. Special teachers’ perceptions and practices

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are at risk for emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. Social and emotional learning (SEL) may be particularly beneficial to fostering these children’s resilience. Given the importance of teacher’s role in promoting SEL, the present study aimed to explore special teachers’ perceptions of SEL and the practices they use to enhance their pupils’ social and emotional skills. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 15 Greek primary and secondary education special teachers and were analysed with the use of reflexive thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the special teachers considered the creation of a supportive school environment a key prerequisite to addressing the pupils’ with SEND needs. They perceived SEL as a process aiming to the development of social and emotional skills which contributes to pupils’ emotional development and social inclusion. Although they used a number of practices for this purpose, their efforts were often hindered by the lack of collaboration with general education teachers and their limited knowledge on SEL. The findings are discussed with respect to the need to enhance cooperation between the members of the school community and teachers’ training on SEL.

Book reviews [International Journal of Emotional Education, 16(1)]

The books reviewed here are all relevant to the concept of social and emotional learning (SEL). The first, Is This Autism? A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else, examines the social and emotional needs of children, adolescents and adults who are neurodiverse. What is unique about this book is that the authors are neurodiverse, and they took advice from a panel of autistic people as they wrote it. The second edited book, Assessing Competencies for Social and Emotional Learning: Conceptualization, Development, and Applications, is written by leading experts in the field of SEL assessment. The third book, Bully Blocking: Empowering Students to Manage Bullying. A Guidebook for Teachers, Parents and Counsellors, gives a wealth of practical advice to educators, mental health professionals and parents on how to help those children who are being bullied at school and how to build up their self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Each will be of interest to readers of IJEE.

Stepping Back, Stepping Up, and Stepping Forward: Exploring One Teacher’s Evolving Approach to Teaching Social and Emotional Learning in High School Physical Education

Purpose: Utilizing social constructivist learning theory and a conceptual framework for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), this self-study explores how I as a teacher-researcher intentionally evolved my approach to teaching SEL in a high school Physical Education setting. Method: Data were collected over twenty 75-min lessons over 15 weeks. One critical friend interview, 20 postteaching reflections, 18 observations, and 22 journal entries were conducted. A deductive and inductive approach utilizing the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana Framework for Qualitative Data Analysis was implemented. Results: Findings demonstrate how aligning my teaching with a contemporary framework led to a more explicit and intentional focus on SEL within my already utilized repertoire of pedagogies. Discussion/Conclusion: Incorporating self-study structure as a teacher-researcher led me to understand how I evolved and felt better equipped to teach for targeted SEL competencies and skills to further compliment the teaching of core Physical Education content.

Bridging the SEL CASEL Framework with European educational policies and assessment approaches

The importance of enhancing social and emotional skills in educational settings has gained prominence, with many countries and organizations embracing the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework to equip individuals with the tools needed for shaping a self-identity, emotional regulation, goal achievement, empathy, nurturing relationships, and responsible decision-making and overall well-being. In this paper, we aim to connect the globally acknowledged Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning SEL framework with international policies that underscore the importance of social and emotional skills in the school context. To accomplish this goal, we first provide a brief overview of the key components of the SEL framework. Subsequently, we explore two significant educational policies within the European context. The first policy is the World Health Organization Health Promoting Schools initiative. We present its objectives, a WHO-affiliated program example, the promoted and assessed competencies of students, and its results, connecting its framework with the CASEL SEL approach. The second focus is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Study on Social and Emotional Skills, describing its developmental process and the assessment framework. Finally, we describe the alignment of SEL with these European educational policies and illustrate their role in advancing and improving the evaluation of SEL initiatives in educational environments.

Measuring social and emotional learning skills of preschool children in Croatia : initial validation of the SSIS SEL Brief Scales

Although there is increased interest in social and emotional competence and mental health in Croatia, there are currently limited measurement options available for early childhood settings. Thus, the SSIS SEL Brief Scales (SSIS SELb), an efficient measure of social and emotional learning competencies developed in the United States, was translated to Croatian and used by 49 early childhood educators to rate a sample of 685 children (average age 4.3 years) from several counties in Croatia. Regarding measurement invariance, the final model cohered substantially with a CASEL-inspired framework. Overall reliability was also high especially for the SEL Composite (α = .94), with notably lower reliability for subscales. Regarding cross-group concurrent validity, concurrent coefficients were largely similar across age and gender, but there were regional differences in validity. Likewise, validity correlations were in line with expectations, with moderate relationships observed between the SSIS SEL Composite and Child and Youth Resilience Measure scores. In sum, the high level of reliability provided a foundation for applied and research usage of the Croatian SSIS SELb, although further validation research will continue to be necessary before widescale implementation. Limitations to the study are discussed and also point to needed additional research before utilizing the Croatian translated SSIS SELb for applied decisions with young children.

Editorial : Introduction to the special issue on assessing children’s social emotional learning to guide improvement programs

Although the COVID-19 Pandemic began in 2020, it continues to exert a negative impact on the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic wellbeing of many children and youth across the globe (e.g., Bell et al., 2023; Panchal et al., 2023) and throughout Europe (European Education and Culture Executive Agency, 2022). To address these significant needs, researchers, educators, and policymakers have continued to stress the importance of developing instructional and intervention programs that target children’s social and emotional learning (SEL) and emotional behavior concerns (EBC). Many examples of such programs exist in countries throughout Europe (e.g., Cefai, et al., 2018). A particularly notable example is the Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) program (Cefai et al., 2022). Such developments are promising as children and youth continue to need enhanced supports and schools represent an excellent setting to provide it to them.

Examining the Measurement Invariance and Validity of the SSIS SEL Brief + Mental Health Scales – Student Version in Austria and Germany

The SSIS SEL Brief + Mental Health Scales (SSIS SELb+MHS) are multi-informant assessments developed in the United States to assess the social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and emotional behavior concerns (EBCs) of school-age youth. Although there are translations of the SEL items of the SSIS SELb+MHS available in other languages, a German translation has never been completed and validated, despite the growing need for SEL and mental health assessment in German-speaking countries. To address this need, this study’s primary purpose was the examination of a German translation of the assessment with a specific focus on measurement invariance and concurrent validity invariance testing with 821 3rd through 6th-grade students in Austria and Germany. Results indicated that the SELb+MHS items clustered into 2 SEL factors and 2 EBC factors. With regard to measurement invariance, the SELb+MHS functioned similarly across both Austria and Germany and full scalar invariance was achieved. Additionally, the overall pattern of concurrent validity relationships was as expected and similar across countries. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Comparative analysis of US and European preschool social and emotional learning programs

Social-emotional skills are crucial for preschool children’s mental health and later school success. Most school-based SEL programs originate in the United States, reflecting a robust interest in SEL curricula from preschool through secondary school. While EU Member States are increasingly integrating social and emotional skills programs into school curricula, there is a lack of uniform terminologies, frameworks, and assessment criteria, necessitating the introduction of standardized practices. This study aims to offer an overview of US and European preschool SEL programs, utilizing content analysis to showcase the diversity of these programs. The analysis focuses on programs from the “EU-Self Programs for Social and Emotional Skills Development for Early and Preschool Children Applied in European Countries" by Koltcheva et al. (2022), including impact evaluations of nine programs in total. The study analysed the programs in relation to goals and outcomes, and findings reveal that there are no remarkable differences between US and European preschool SEL programs, although certain trends highlight distinctions among programs of different origins. The study will be useful for practitioners who are interested in introducing a preschool SEL program in their institution.

Assessing teachers' social and emotional competence : the validation of SECTRS in Italy, Latvia, and Portugal

Despite growing interest in evaluating the social and emotional learning of students and the development of standardized assessment tools for this purpose, there remains a dearth of validated instruments for evaluating teachers’ social and emotional skills. We set out to address this knowledge gap by investigating the psychometric characteristics of the Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale (SECTRS) questionnaire, an instrument originally developed and validated in North America. Participants were 572 teachers from Italy (n=324), Latvia (n=139), and Portugal (n=109) ranging from 40 to 59 years of age. We performed confirmatory factor analysis procedures to validate a four-factor model measuring Teacher-student relationships, Emotion regulation, Social awareness, and Interpersonal relationships. The data supported this factorial structure, with a total of 14 items included in the final model. The outcomes of a multi-group comparison indicated that the model exhibited partial invariance, up to and including metric invariance, across the three cultural settings. We discuss these findings in relation to selecting appropriate instruments for assessing the social and emotional skills of teachers in different cultural contexts.