Decolonizing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Teachers’ SEL Practices to Cultivate Minoritized Afghan Students’ Diasporic Citizenship in Multilingual/Multicultural ELD Classrooms

• In Event: Language, Power, Belonging: Decolonizing Support in Schools

Abstract

In spite of the refugee migrant youth’s distinctive language, family, cultural backgrounds, and life histories, approaches to SEL are situated within the U.S. school context and not reflective of their social-emotional skills. Although a growing body of literature has recently recognized the importance of culturally responsive SEL in promoting the social-emotional well-being of migrant youth, little attention has been devoted to teachers’ experiences of supporting the social-emotional needs of refugee-background diasporic students. The purpose of this qualitative research is to deeply explore how English Language Development (ELD) teachers’ SEL practices for the refugee-background diasporic students address imperial power in the U.S. school settings and better understand what it means to decolonize SEL practices.

Author

• Hannah Kim, University of Colorado - Boulder