Toward Decolonial Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Teachers’ SEL Practices for Refugee Background Diasporic Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Decolonial Social-Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Practices, and Addressing Social Issues (Table 9)

Abstract

Although a growing body of literature has recognized the importance of culturally responsive SEL in promoting the social-emotional well-being of refugee background children, little attention has been devoted to teachers’ experiences of supporting the social-emotional needs of refugee-background diasporic students. Additionally, most of the few qualitative studies in this area rarely explore how teachers’ SEL practices for refugee-background students engage with imperial power although their everyday experiences are heavily influenced by global power structures. To address the gap, I conducted participatory classroom observation and in-depth interviews with English Language Development teachers at two elementary schools experiencing a large influx of refugee newcomers and implementing SEL programs. This study’s more situated data extends the theory and practices of decolonizing SEL.

Author

• Hannah Kim, University of Colorado - Boulder