Do We Dare Disturb the Status Quo?: A Critical Discourse Analysis of CASEL's Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Framework

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Abstract

The dominant discourse of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), championed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework, functions as a tool of neoliberal governance in education. This research uses critical discourse analysis to unmask the power and ideology embedded within key CASEL documents. The analysis reveals a framework that pathologizes non-conformity, erases diverse sociocultural realities, and disciplines students into compliance with an unjust status quo. This work challenges educators to reject SEL as a practice of social control. It is a direct call to radically reimagine SEL as a practice of collective liberation, constructing a new vision for learning rooted in anti-oppression and a commitment to social justice.

Authors

• Adishi Gupta, University of British Columbia

• Surita Jhangiani, University of British Columbia

• Handel K. Wright, University of British Columbia