Spiritually Integrated Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Learning From Refugee Resettlement Volunteers to Enhance Refugee SEL in Our Classrooms

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Seventeen
  In Roundtable Session: The Power of Spirituality in Education (Table 15)

Abstract

The US K-12 community has embraced social emotional learning (SEL) in effort to engage all children in classrooms, yet refugee children still struggle to belong. As equity and inclusion are central educational SEL pursuits, authentic community partnerships are particularly vital and yet remain challenging within marginalized communities. Reaching out to the refugee resettlement volunteer (RRV) community for insights, this qualitative study explored how RRVs engaged their spirituality in their work with refugees, in relation to SEL principles. This spiritual engagement was central to RRVs cultivation of culturally humble interactions with refugees for community integration. The findings provided insights for a new framework: spiritually-integrated SEL, a more wholistic approach for educators to connect with refugee students and promote their SEL.

Authors

• Martha J. Strickland, Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
  Presenting Author