MINDFUL LANGUAGE TEACHING: ENHANCING LEARNING THROUGH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a crucial role in developing students' emotional intelligence, social skills, and overall well-being. SEL focuses on five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Integrating SEL into English Language Teaching (ELT) aligns these competencies with language learning objectives, fostering improved communication skills and holistic student development. Research indicates that SEL enhances emotional and academic outcomes, increasing student motivation, self-confidence, and peer relationships. In ELT settings, SEL supports a positive learning environment by addressing students' emotional needs, which boosts engagement and reduces anxiety. Despite its benefits, SEL integration faces challenges such as curriculum constraints, limited time and resources, and varying levels of teacher preparedness. Effective integration requires balancing SEL with language goals, providing adequate professional development for teachers, and addressing diverse student needs. While integrating SEL into ELT poses challenges, it promotes resilience, a growth mindset, and better communication skills, contributing to overall student success. To fully capitalize on SEL, educators need ongoing training, and policymakers should support SEL within educational standards. Collaborative efforts among educators, researchers, and policymakers are essential to develop and sustain effective SEL practices, creating a more engaging and supportive learning environment for students. This paper focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the integration of SEL in ELT. Keywords: Social Emotional Learning, ELT Classroom, Opportunities, Challenges

Social emotional learning (SEL) fosters students’ emotional intelligence and social skills, and research supports the relationships between SEL and academic outcomes. Despite schools implementing SEL as required by state policies, the manner of presentation is critiqued for its relevance to students’ cultural complexities. This qualitative study examined the nuances of SEL implementation and its relevance for minoritized students in a sample of SEL school leaders. Among the themes identified were: challenges related to integrating SEL as Tier 1 interventions; shortcomings in assessing student needs and SEL outcomes; buy-in and capacity challenges with teacher interventionists; and the larger context of implementing SEL amid communities’ mixed political views about SEL and equity/inclusion efforts. Implications for using SEL to improve diverse students’ academic outcomes and well-being are discussed.

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of social emotional learning and emotional intelligence (EI) on self-esteem in students. The study was conducted with a sample group of 236 voluntary participants from university students. The data were collected with the Social Emotional Learning Scale (SELS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue-SF). Mean, standard deviation, minimum-maximum-median, Mann-Whitney U, Spearman correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. According to the results obtained, students' social emotional learning, emotional intelligence and self-esteem differ according to age variable. In all three measures, the scores of students aged 21 and over were significantly higher than those of students aged 20 and under. In addition, a moderate relationship was found between social emotional learning and self-esteem, and between social emotional learning and emotional intelligence. There is a strong relationship between self-esteem and emotional intelligence. The model established in the study explains approximately 51% of students' self-esteem. Although age and social emotional learning were found to be a factor affecting self-esteem in univariate analysis, they lost their significance in multivariate analysis. However, emotional intelligence continues to maintain its effect.

This research investigates the impact of AI-based emotional cue detection on social-emotional learning (SEL) and individualized academic support in online learning environments. In a quantitative research, data were collected from 236 university instructors using probability sampling techniques. The research aims to evaluate the interconnections between emotional cue detection, SEL, and individualized support, and their connection to students' emotional regulation, academic resilience, and academic performance. Regression and ANOVA analysis indicate that awareness of emotional cues has a significant effect on SEL and individualized academic support, and the facilitative role of AI in improving students' engagement, motivation, and emotional well-being. The results indicate that AI systems can facilitate timely interventions, improve emotional regulation, and foster academic performance by being attuned to the distinctive emotional and cognitive needs of students. Moreover, the research emphasizes the necessity to continue to develop AI technologies, particularly for multicultural and multilingual environments, to enhance support for students in their diverse groups. Incorporating SEL practices into AI systems is also crucial in fostering students' social skills and emotional intelligence. Ethical issues, such as data protection and security, are still crucial to the safe and responsible use of AI in education. These findings provide valuable insights into the effective application of AI in achieving both the emotional and academic growth of students, and they can be used as a resource in guiding future education practices and policymaking. This research has significant implications for teachers, policymakers, and technology developers who seek to create more inclusive, personalized, and emotionally supportive learning environments in the digital age.

Adventure-based Learning (ABL) is a sequence of highly structured physical activities and periods of reflection (i.e., debriefs) with the aim to promote personal and social development (Cosgriff, 2000). ABL has been used as a synonym in describing Adventure Education or adventure programming conducted within physical education (PE) programmes (Dyson & Sutherland, 2014). ABL has been shown to have a positive effect on intrapersonal and interpersonal relationship skills (IIRS) amongst students, such as enhanced leadership skills, patience, and working with others (Passarelli, Hall, & Anderson, 2010; Quezada & Christopherson, 2005). Adventure youth camps have also shown positive results in regard to promoting IIRS (e.g., improving self-esteem and friendship) among adolescent populations (Thurber, Scanlin, Scheuler, & Henderson, 2007). Within PE settings ABL has the potential to help students develop IIRS (Cosgriff, 2000; Dyson, 1995; Sutherland & Stuhr, 2014), yet our knowledge regarding student outcomes from ABL within structured PE is limited, reflecting a paucity of research in this area. This qualitative case study aimed to narrow this research gap through an investigation of middle school students' perceptions of their IIRS while involved in a 15-lesson ABL unit of instruction during PE. Conceptual framework The social emotional learning (SEL) literature was used to help frame this study and as a means to connect the importance of using ABL to promote IIRS. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL is the ability to problem solve, make responsible decisions, manage one's emotions, and build positive relationships with others (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2013). The study of SEL has risen since the 1990s and as such, many researchers believe SEL should be an integral part of the educational experience provided to our youth (Hoffman, 2009). The primary reason to teach and promote inclusion of SEL experiences within school is to help students acquire social skills (Cohen, 2006). SEL also plays a role in student academic success (Elias, Zins, Graczyk, & Weissberg, 2003). Specifically, CASEL has successfully examined and found advantages of using evidence-based SEL programmes to promote academic success within schools (CASEL, 2013). SEL instruction has also had positive effects on health, citizenship, IIRS, and improved happiness (Zins & Elias, 2006). Why use SEL to frame a study in ABL? There are similarities between the use of an ABL curriculum and SEL instruction that provide sound rationale for using the latter to frame this study. Studying ABL outcomes through the lens of SEL is supported by commonalities between these two types of programming. For example, the philosophical foundation of ABL is predicated on students learning how to develop community, cooperation, trust, and problem solving abilities (Frank, 2013), a commonality shared, and proven to be enhanced through SEL instruction (Zins & Elias, 2006). ABL and SEL specifically focus attention on the affective domain of learning and student learning outcomes associated with IIRS. Theoretically, both types of programming are designed to create community within the classroom and provide students with opportunities to work through issues of conflict (Cohen, 2006; Frank, 2013). ABL and SEL place high importance on providing students with the opportunity to talk and reflect on social-emotional experiences (Cohen, 2006; Stuhr & Sutherland, 2013; Zins & Elias, 2006). Other characteristics seen in ABL and SEL include the focus on creating emotionally safe, caring, and inclusive classroom environments in order to create ideal learning conditions for students (Cohen, 2006; Stuhr, Sutherland, Ressler, & Ortiz-Stuhr, in press). Thus, ABL can be seen as a type of SEL programme that focuses on promoting social and emotional competencies. …

Low poetry comprehension and limited emotional engagement among elementary students remain persistent challenges in Indonesian language instruction. This classroom action research aimed to improve students' poetry comprehension and social-emotional skills through the integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) elements within the Problem Based Learning (PBL) model. The study was conducted in two cycles involving 24 fourth-grade students at SDN Pengkol 01, Sukoharjo. The research applied the Kemmis and McTaggart spiral model, which includes the stages of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Data were collected through observation sheets and written tests and analyzed using percentage techniques for completeness criteria. The results from the pre-cycle showed that only 8 students (37.88%) achieved the minimum score of 70. In cycle I, the average score increased to 70.16 with 13 students (59.02%) achieving completeness. However, the criteria for classical completeness (70%) had not yet been fulfilled. In cycle II, after improvements in learning strategies and the reinforcement of SEL components—such as self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills—students' performance significantly improved. The class average reached 95.75 with 22 students (94%) achieving completeness. The study concludes that integrating SEL into PBL in poetry learning not only enhances cognitive outcomes but also fosters students' emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. This approach contributes to more meaningful and holistic learning in the Indonesian language curriculum. The success indicators being met in both cognitive and affective domains confirm the effectiveness of this integrated model for primary school poetry instruction.

Social emotional learning is a overall human development and it provides a platform for quality of learning. Emotional intelligence is most important topic in the research it emphasizes the individual emotions in all places. This paper reveals that the role of social emotional learning on emotional intelligence of IX standard student’s. The subjects of the research are 45 students’ from secondary schools in Puducherry region. Normative survey method was adopted for the investigation. The sample was taken by employing stratified random sampling technique. Social- emotional learning scale constructed and validated by the investigator and emotional intelligence scale constructed and standardized by Anukool Hyde, Sanjyot Pethe and Upinder Dhar. for collecting the data. The data were analyzed by using descriptive analysis, differential analysis and correlational analysis techniques. The major findings was that the level of social emotional learning and emotional intelligence of IX standard students’ is average and there is a significant difference between social emotional learning of IX standard students’ with regard to Gender, Locality, Type of school and there is a significant difference between emotional intelligence of IX standard students’ with regard to Locality, Type of school , there is no significant difference between emotional intelligence of IX standard students ‘Gender.

This presented research has three purposes: The first purpose of this study is to examine the power of middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills together as a predictor of their career development. The second purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to gender. Third purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to targeted high school type. The research group consisted of 263 middle school students (141 female, 116 male, 6 unknown). These students were studying in 3 middle schools in the center of a large city in the northwestern part of Turkey and their ages ranged between 10-15 (X̄=12.31; sd=1.07). The research data were collected by applying the Chilhood Career Development Scale, Social Emotional Learning Scale for Adolescents, Daily Life Decision Making Scale and Personal Information Form. The research data were analysed using multiple linear regression analysis, t test, and one-way ANOVA. The research results showed that middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills scores together accounted for a significant proportion of the variance 0.19% of the career development scores of middle school students. The results showed that the career development score mean of students targeted Anatolian high school were higher than those aiming for science high school and vocational and technical high school. There was not significantly differences in career development scores of the students according to gender. The research results were discussed based on the relevant literature, provided important implications for the theoretical and practical literature on career development, social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills and suggestions were presented for future theoretical and practical research.

The current study aims to examine the association between high school students’ social–emotional learning (SEL) skills and their use of social media, as well as to explore potential variations based on certain variables. The research utilized relational and comparative survey methodologies, with 325 high school students participating. Data were gathered through the administration of the “Social Emotional Learning Scale” and the “Social Media Use Scale.” Analytical techniques such as t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were applied to analyze the collected data. The results indicate a slight, adverse connection between the social–emotional learning abilities of students and their utilization of social networking sites. Furthermore, the research revealed that the average ratings for both social–emotional learning abilities and social media usage were moderate. Additionally, no significant differences were observed in social–emotional learning skills and social media use based on gender or grade level.

Social emotional well-being has a direct effect on school performance. Students who engage in prosocial peer interactions and feel a connectedness to school are more likely to experience growth in their social emotional competence and academic performance. Often, students who live in high stress environments come to school with inadequate skills in this area, affecting their ability to self-regulate, attend, and interact with others. However, these skills can be directly taught to students and improved through regular instruction and practice. Mindfulness practices serve as a gateway skill for developing social emotional well-being and are becoming more commonly used in the school setting. Using the perspectives of elementary teachers in Pennsylvania who have attended professional development and thus implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms, an instrumental case study was conducted. The study explored how teachers describe the effects of mindfulness practices on their students' social emotional well-being, classroom climate, and overall academic performance. Nine elementary teachers in public schools in Pennsylvania participated in the study, which included a semi-structured interview and completion of a participant journal. All teachers had participated in at least eight hours of district-provided professional development series and had implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms at least three times per week. The interviews were analyzed to gain insight into the participants' perspectives of their professional development, their personal and professional experiences with mindfulness practices, and the perceived effects of mindfulness practices on the students in their classrooms. Four thematic findings emerged: (a) opportunities for professional development, (b) personal mindfulness practices of teachers, (c) social emotional learning and mindfulness practices in the classroom, and (d) the effects of mindfulness practices on students in the classroom setting. From the findings, four results were drawn regarding the implications of implementing mindfulness in school settings. First, teachers expressed the need and desire for ongoing, supported professional development. Secondly, the teacher serves as a model in the classroom, establishing an environment in which desired, prosocial behaviors and social emotional competence are modeled for students. Thirdly, the data analysis showed that the implementation of mindfulness practices can serve as a means to develop social emotional competence in students. Finally, the analysis of participant responses indicated that mindfulness practices had a positive effect on student learning and classroom interactions. The study concluded and recommended implementing mindfulness practices into school settings with potential benefits for administrators and teachers as well as students. This recommendation begins with recognizing the importance of social emotional learning for students and supporting both pre-service and practicing teachers in the development of their own social emotional well-being. Given the impact of social emotional learning on all facets of education, administrators and educational leaders should advocate for support and funding for programs that would support social emotional development in school settings. Recommendations for future research include expanding the study to additional sites or extended years of implementation, an in-depth examination of professional development opportunities and structure, consideration of the educational leader's role in encouraging social emotional learning and self-care for educators, analysis of mindfulness programs implemented with fidelity, and the addition of student and family perceptions of mindfulness practices into the current research base. Keywords: social emotional learning, mindfulness practices, prosocial classroom, emotional intelligence, professional development

Purpose : This study explored how adventure education (AE) can promote social emotional learning (SEL) outcomes in middle school physical education. Method : One hundred forty-four middle school students participated in a 5-day AE unit targeting SEL competencies: social awareness, self-management, and relationship skills. Data were collected via formative and summative assessments, student reflections, and classroom observations then analyzed using collaborative thematic analysis. Results : Findings were categorized by SEL competencies based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning framework. Students demonstrated growth in social awareness, self-management, and relationship skills. Subcompetencies included empathy, respect, impulse control, social engagement, and teamwork. Students often connected AE experiences to broader life contexts. Discussion/Conclusion : The study supports that SEL can be intentionally taught and assessed in physical education. When integrated with AE, SEL fosters meaningful learning and student engagement. Embedding SEL across instructional models may support holistic, long-term development in physical education.

21st century education demands a renewal of the learning paradigm that is not only oriented towards academic achievement, but also emphasizes the importance of strengthening the social and emotional aspects of students. The reality of Islamic education in Indonesia shows the gap between the idealism of Islamic values and learning practices that are still often rigid and normative, so that the integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is urgent to bridge the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of students. This study aims to: (1) analyze the role of Islamic Education teachers in integrating Islamic values into the SEAL framework; (2) identify the learning strategies used by teachers to foster students' social and emotional intelligence; and (3) formulate recommendations to strengthen the role of Islamic Education teachers in the development of Islamic values-based SEL. This study uses a qualitative approach with the type of library research, reviewing 45 scientific articles published in the range of 2018-2025 from the Google Scholar, Scopus, ERIC, and ProQuest databases. Content analysis was carried out with a coding scheme based on five SEL competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) which was integrated with Islamic values. Units of analysis are paragraphs and conceptual statements, with validation through triangulation of sources. The results of the study show that Islamic Education teachers play a strategic role not only as teachers, but also as moral and emotional role models who instill empathy, discipline, and spiritual responsibility in students. The dominant patterns of learning strategies include: exemplary (uswah hasanah) as the main strategy (78% of literature), creative methods such as storytelling (65%), class management based on Islamic values (54%), and the use of interactive media (43%). The findings also revealed that the integration of worship practices (congregational prayer, fasting, zakat) significantly strengthened students' social-emotional competence. The integration of SEL with Islamic values strengthens the holistic dimension of education which includes cognitive, affective, and spiritual aspects. To optimize the role of teachers, systemic support is needed in the form of ongoing professional training, clinical supervision, pro-integration school policies, and collaboration with families and communities.

In the era of a workforce driven by automation and artificial intelligence, social and emotional skills are becoming increasingly relevant to online learning environments. Since social-emotional learning may be defined as a vital component of the learning process in professional instructional design practices, online learners not only need to develop the ability to apply their knowledge, attitudes, and skills but also to understand and manage their emotions. In which setting and achieving positive goals through social interaction, sharing feelings, and developing empathy for others can help with the process. This paper outlines the possibility of using emotion recognition, and social sharing of emotion techniques to support the regulation of emotion in pre-service teacher education. This study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers’ emotion recognition tools acquired by emotion tracker and physiological signals based on their perceptions (without a concrete experience and knowledge). Moreover, the predictive ability was examined along with the relationships between emotion recognition, social sharing of emotion, and emotion regulation. Finally, we investigated emotion adjustment techniques that can be adapted into mobile computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL). In this study, 183 pre-service teachers from three different teacher-education institutions in Thailand, were voluntarily participated based on convenience sampling. The results of a self-report via online survey revealed that most pre-service teachers own at least one of the mobile technologies e.g., smartphones, tablets, or laptops. However, there is an increasing number of additional gadgets and wearable devices like EarPods and smartwatches. At the current time, it is nearly impossible to use of the IoT and other wearable devices. According to their subjective impressions in which corresponded to emotion recognition in the scientific literature, Heart rate (HR) and Heart rate variability (HRV) have recognized the most possibilities for emotion detection among physiological signals. Regarding regression analysis, the two-predictor models of emotion recognition and the social sharing of emotion were also able to account for 31% of the variance in emotion regulation, p<.001, R2=.31, and 95% CI [.70, .77]. In addition, the mCSCL applications and the importance of these variables in different collaboration levels are also discussed.

In recent global practice, innovations in language teaching / learning go hand in hand not only with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but also with the development of Emotional Intelligence (EI), with an emphasis on the integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into the language teaching/learning process, and a shift from a four-skill model of language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) to a four-communication mode model (reception, production, interaction, and mediation) (Council of Europe, 2020). SEL encompasses five broad and interconnected domains of competences: self-knowledge, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making, which can be learned in a variety of subject areas, with students of different ages and in different cultural contexts (Durlak et al., 2024). Various methodologies can be used for developing SEL competences, for example the innovative and increasingly popular teaching method – mediation, which the CEFR defines as the ability to help people understand each other, a complex text, an idea, or a cultural aspect when they cannot communicate or understand for various reasons. In order to investigate how mediation strategies in the English language classes can facilitate socially and emotionally enhanced language learning, the present research focuses primarily on the concept of SEL and the analysis of previous research on the enhancement of SEL competences in the educational settings, presenting a large-scale study of emotional intelligence among the Lithuanian youth. The introductory part also introduces the concept of mediation, the main mediation activities and strategies, and their potential application in language teaching / learning. In order to analyse the attitudes of students (N = 58) of Vytautas Magnus University Institute of Foreign Languages (VMU UKI) towards the use of mediation as a new method in the English language classroom and to improve their mediation and SEL competences, a study was conducted. The sample consisted of 58 students, 20 of whom were studying General English at B1 level and 38 of whom were studying Academic English at C1/C2 level according to CEFR. This study also presents a self-assessment analysis of the English language learners to assess their improvement in mediation and SEL competences. A quantitative research methodology and short semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the needs, experiences and improved competences of the research participants. The results showed a positive correlation between the use of mediation strategies in the English language classes and the learners’ improved mediation and SEL competences. Based on the insights gained from the study, the paper provides practical recommendations for the use of mediation strategies in the English language classes and the development of learners’ socio-emotional competences.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the influence of emotional intelligence on collaborative work in high school students. The teaching-learning processes that are generated in the student in a given educational context, through cooperative work and the collaboration of the entire educational community generate an improvement in student learning in a quality and comprehensive education. In this way, working cooperatively with our students should be valued in the educational community to achieve the goals of the competencies foreseen in our educational system. At present it is relevant to find strategies for the change of an active methodology making use of our emotional intelligence using emotions as the main axis in addition to teamwork in order to solve challenging situations proposed by the teacher or problematic situations of their context. We will also learn about the four pillars of emotional intelligence, such as knowledge, aptitude, depth and emotional alchemy, which are related to understanding our emotions, self-regulation, empathy for others and social skills. Finally, significant contributions are made on emotional intelligence and collaborative work.