What Are Social and Emotional Skills and Why Are They Important? An Overview

• In Event: 25.079 - Leveraging Social and Emotional Learning for Student Success: From Assessment to Program Implementation

Abstract

This paper will provide an overview of the current state of the field of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Three broad topic areas will be discussed that answer three questions: 1) Frameworks for organizing social and emotional skills (What are they?), 2) Research supporting the importance of social and emotional skills (Are they Important?) and, 3) Evidence surrounding the malleability of these skills and whether they should be assessed and taught in schools (Can and should they be taught?).
What are they? SEL frameworks
It is important to lead with this topic because it helps to answer the question, “What is SEL?”, and creates a mapping of social and emotional skills for the audience. It is important to note that currently the map of social and emotional skills is confusing, sometimes presenting several roads that appear to lead to the same destination, and at other times presenting one road that appears to lead to several destinations. There are several extant SEL frameworks that will be considered. However, the skills included in these frameworks are often not clearly defined, and, as a consequence, the amount of overlap between these frameworks is difficult to determine. These issues will be summarized and a model to solve these interpretive issues will be proposed.
Are social and emotional skills important?
Second, research on the importance of social and emotional skills will be discussed. There is now a strong body of evidence supporting the importance of social and emotional skills for success in school, work, and life. In school, meta-analyses have shown these skill to be predictive of grades at all levels of schooling and retention in higher education. At work, meta-analyses have shown that these skills are predictive of job performance and job satisfaction. Finally, in life meta-analyses have shown these skills to be related to happiness, and health and longevity.
Can and should social and emotional skills be taught?
Finally, evidence surrounding the malleability of these skills and whether they can and should be taught will be discussed. Although the SEL community has encountered skepticism that these skill can be taught, there is accumulating evidence from several sources that they indeed can be. For example, meta-analysis and other large scale studies have demonstrated that social and emotional skills evolve naturally over time. If these skills evolve naturally over time, this opens the door for intentional change. Recently, other meta-analyses have shown that these skills can be improved a variety of ways, including through in-school programming and through clinical interventions. As such, we conclude that social and emotional skills can be taught. Additionally, research in economics has shown that SEL programming has benefits for society. Finally, changes in the world of work emphasize the need for new entrants into the workforce to have strong social and emotional skills. The logical conclusion is that not only can social and emotional skills be taught, they SHOULD be taught in schools.

Author

• Jeremy Burrus, ACT, Inc.