Voices from the Classroom: Contextualizing Social Emotional Learning in Kenya Through Educator Perspectives

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 9:45am
  In Poster Session: AERA Division K Section 6 In-Service Educators - Poster Session 2

Abstract

This paper presents a research-practice partnership that designed and implemented a professional development program for in-service Kenyan teachers. Using mixed methods and original survey data from 89 educators across 8 counties, we explored teachers’ perspectives on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), classroom practices, and systemic barriers. While teachers recognized SEL’s value and showed intrinsic motivation, challenges such as limited training and institutional support remained. Framed through educational futurism and postcolonial critique, the study offers a culturally grounded SEL model for low-resource contexts. It contributes to global education research by centering African voices and advancing context-aware SEL systems aligned with AERA’s theme of unforgetting histories and imagining equitable futures.

Authors

• Shinchieh Duh, San Jose State University

• Igor Himelfarb, National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

• JACINTA AKATSA, CEMASTEA

• Jong Tak Lee, Grow X Education

• Rita Rodriguez, San Francisco State University

• Jae H. Paik, San Francisco State University