Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Behavioral StudiesSchool Education

The process through which learners develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

SEL programs aim to build emotional intelligence and interpersonal competence alongside academic skills, and are linked to improved wellbeing, behaviour and achievement. They are increasingly embedded in school curricula worldwide.

Related Terms
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
The ability to recognise, understand, manage and use one's own emotions and to perceive and influence the emotions of others.
Self-Regulation
The process by which learners set goals, monitor their progress, manage their emotions and adjust their strategies to achieve learning outcomes.
Motivation
The internal and external forces that initiate, direct and sustain goal-directed behaviour, including learning.
Growth Mindset
The belief, described by Carol Dweck, that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, strategy and persistence, as opposed to a fixed mindset that sees them as static.
Self-Efficacy
An individual's belief in their own capacity to succeed at a specific task or in a particular situation, a concept central to the work of Albert Bandura.