Teachers’ experiences: social emotional engagement – knowledge and skills

ABSTRACT Background Active classroom engagement is at the heart of children’s learning. The definition of active classroom engagement has broadened over time to incorporate aspects of social emotional learning (SEL). SEL – a developmental process that supports student acquisition of skills to build healthy peer relationships and regulate emotions appropriately – has increasingly become a priority for schools and educators. At the same time, classrooms have become increasingly diverse. There is a need for teachers to be equipped with suitable support tools to ensure that classroom diversity translates into successful social inclusion and student learning. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ experiences and perceived effects of a professional development approach called Social Emotional Engagement – Knowledge and Skills (SEE-KS), which aims to incorporate support for teachers to help them meet the diverse social-emotional and academic needs of their students. Methods This study, conducted in the USA, used a qualitative descriptive research design. Participants were 61 teachers, whose practice ranged from preschool (ages 3–5) to high school (ages 14–18). A semi-structured interview guide was used to facilitate six focus group discussions. Focus group data were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed by a team of qualitative experts. Findings The analysis identified five main themes: 1) dynamic engagement of learning, 2) seeing more than was expected, 3) discovery of challenges and needs, 4) translation of SEE-KS to teaching practice, and 5) creating workable solutions for future implementation. These themes contributed to an overarching theme entitled ‘achieving openness to social emotional engagement in teaching’. Conclusions Teachers provided rich descriptions of their experiences in learning and implementing SEE-KS, including perceived benefits to students and teachers. These findings offer a starting point for future adaptations of and inquiry into SEE-KS as well as highlighting implications for teaching practice.