Frameworks for Social and Emotional Learning From Across the Globe: Comparing, Contrasting, and Localizing

• In Event: Framework and Assessment Considerations for Social and Emotional Learning

Abstract

With increasing attention being paid to the importance of social and emotional learning and development in educational settings, especially with ongoing turbulence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many have expressed concern over time about the lack of precision with which we discuss and measure the relevant skills and competencies (e.g., Jones et al., 2016). Indeed, there are deep-seated terminological issues that underlie challenges with defining and communicating about skills in a unified, coherent way. What does this mean for efforts to translate research into practice in ways that effectively support whole child development in schools? Without greater clarity and a mechanism for making connections between the many perspectives on the field, we risk creating and implementing ineffective standards and strategies, conducting research that is imprecise and inconclusive, and employing frameworks and concepts that aren’t sufficiently localized undermining buy-in and commitment in practice. Our response to this issue is somewhat different from others (e.g., Casillas, Roberts & Jones, 2022). Instead of narrowing our understanding of the domain to a single framework or seeking to create a new one altogether, our focus is on creating a coherent and scientifically-grounded taxonomy of skills and competencies that is designed to link terms across frameworks. The resulting catalogue of terms, rather than seeking to redefine the domain, serves as a practical resource that makes it easier for individuals in the field of education to search across multiple frameworks, evaluate similarities and differences between them, and make judgments about what to focus on based on their needs and context.

In this paper we describe a series of efforts designed to bring coherence and transparency to the field by (1) collecting and systematically coding frameworks that represent the broad boundaries of the field of social and emotional learning, (2) sharing them online through a set of interactive data tools, and (3) developing a set of localizing resources and supports that enable stakeholders (researchers, practitioners, policymakers, community leaders) to gather local input and use data to inform work in their own context. In total, across two projects to date, 70 frameworks have been coded (Bailey et al., 2022) by a team of trained researchers using a coding system developed by the EASEL Lab which is based on a review of the developmental and prevention science literatures and has been refined through multiple projects over the past twelve years (e.g., Jones et al., 2017; Jones et al., 2020). In addition, we have created a set of tools that can be used to highlight points of alignment as well as variation in what skills and competencies are included, how they are defined and described, and how they vary across development and by context. In our presentation we will describe our coding tools and methods, present the online, interactive data tools highlighting similarities and differences between key frameworks, and share qualitative data gathered by partners using the localizing tools.

Authors

• Stephanie Margaret Jones, Harvard University
  Presenting Author

• Bryan Nelson
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebecca Bailey, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author