Social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are major barriers to students’ academic
achievement; however, teachers feel they are not prepared with the knowledge and skills
required to handle these challenges in their classrooms (Kaye et al., 2020).
Studies have shown that social-emotional skills impact students’ academic achievement and even
future employment (Ng & Bull, 2018)
Teachers and pupils, as well as the learning process, are all affected by the physical aspects
of the school. Teaching and learning are made difficult by poor illumination, noise, excessive
levels of carbon dioxide in classrooms, and fluctuating temperatures. Ill maintenance and
ineffective ventilation systems contribute to low health among students and teachers, resulting in
poor performance and higher absenteeism rates (Clare, 2018; & Cephas, et al., 2021).
SEL is receiving more and more attention in educational circles. SEL is the process in
which children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop and
manage emotions and achieve goals, feel and express empathy for others, create and maintain
caring relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (Barnes, 2019)
Studies have shown that social-emotional skills impact students’ academic achievement and even
future employment (Ng & Bull, 2018)
Many educators now claim that if schools aim to prepare children and adolescents for life
in today’s complex and diverse world, then they must deliver instruction in more than just
academic content and skills. There have been increasing reports of teachers seeking ways to help
students learn and practice skills such as managing their emotions, collaborating with peers,
building relationships, developing social and self-awareness, and decision-making skills within
the classroom (Lawson et al., 2018)
For several years, it has been pupils from a low socio-economic background do not perform
effectively in school (Heystek, 2020)
CASEL described SEL as a development where people learn and apply knowledge surrounding
emotions, goal-setting, empathy, positive relationships, and responsible decision-making. The
founders believed schools must attend to all children’s social and emotional needs along with
academic needs. They felt there was a connection between students’ academic performance and
social and emotional skills. CASEL set forth on a goal to establish high-quality, evidence-based
SEL as a critical part of preschool through high school education ( Niemi, 2021)
A specific study was completed over a two-year period on the Second Step Curriculum
with the aim of examining the overall impact of this widely adopted SEL curriculum on students’
emotional and academic outcomes (Low et al., 2019). Included were 61 schools, with 321
teachers and 8,941 students in grades kindergarten through third grade. Teachers were required
to have professional training in how to implement Second Step. Throughout the trainings,
teachers were given additional tools and strategies to implement beyond the guided lessons, such
as greeting at the door in the morning, building student-teacher relationships, teaching, modeling,
and reinforcing positive behaviors , providing explicit feedback, and using effective cues to
regain students’ attention. This curriculum emphasizes the importance of teacher actions and
modeling of expected positive behaviors in the classroom throughout the day to promote
expected, positive behaviors of students. Funding was also provided for coaching teachers (Low
et al., 2019).
Some students thrive transitioning from elementary school and adulthood while others
lose some drive. Some students have struggled with the same challenges they have faced as
young children growing up. In school settings, for those who lose momentum or carry over their
struggles, educators are uncertain how to boost test scores and engage student who become
disengaged. Based on a group of studies, students who have educators who explicitly teach
social-emotional skills from a researched-based program and are dedicated in implementing,
modeling, providing feedback, and allowing students to practice skills throughout the day will
experience improved academic performance (Strahan & Poteat, 2020)
Some skills students develop as a result of SEL programs are an increase in positive
collaboration with peers,positive relationships, self-awareness and management, social
awareness, and responsible decision-making, which all impact students’ engagement and
academic achievement(Strahan&Poteat,2020)
Behaviors can directly impact student achievement. Students who struggle emotionally
disengaged from school at a younger age. Some students who display problematic behavior
struggle being in the classroom with their peers and struggle with authority, potentially
impacting their success as an adult. Tan et al. (2019) competed a study entitled, “Examining
Family and School Factors as Predictors of Delinquency: A Study of Juvenile Offenders, At ‐risk
Students, and Low‐risk Students in Malaysia” (Tan et al., 2019).
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has identified a dramatic
upward trend in adolescent suicide in recent years. Suicide “is the third leading
cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 14, and the
second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15 and
34” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018, p. 1) To put this in context, The
NIMH cites “in 2015 there were more than twice as many suicides (44,193) in the
United States as there were homicides (17,793)” (NIMH, 2018, p. 1)
Crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have an adverse impact on children’s mental health
and wellbeing and can provoke strong, negative emotional responses, such as panic, stress,
anxiety, anger, and fear (Education Links, 2018; UNESCO, 2020)
