Social and Emotional Learning in Schools

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Educational Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 520

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00170 Helsinki, Finland
Interests: social and emotional learning; positive psychology; teacher training; phenomenon based learning; prosocial classroom

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ISEC Lisboa—Instituto Superior de Educação e Ciências e UIDEF—Unidade de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Educação e Formação, 1750-142 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: teacher training; inclusive education; social and emotional learning; teacher well-being

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Higher Education Didactics and Personnel Development, University College of Teacher Education Styria, 8010 Graz, Austria
Interests: social emotional learning; health promotion in schools; student engagement in teacher education; professional development of teachers; academic didactics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Teaching social and emotional skills in schools promotes well-being, inclusion, academic achievement, and motivation, while addressing bullying and preventing mental health issues. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs positively impact socioemotional skills, attitudes, pro-social behavior, behavioral problems, and school performance. Despite variability in SEL content and implementation, recent findings have highlighted the fact that social and emotional competence can be developed in school environments to improve learning and health outcomes. Therefore, against this background, the aim of this Special Issue is to compile recent research on social and emotional learning (SEL), pedagogy, and educational psychology, with a focus on innovative teaching and learning practices across different countries. Moreover, the aim is to present scientific perspectives from various stakeholders, including curriculum developers, practitioners, and researchers, to conceptualize, assess, and develop creative pedagogical concepts beneficial for 21st-century educational contexts. Topics of interest include the integration of SEL into curricula and its impact on student outcomes; strategies for fostering social and emotional competence, empathy, and resilience; the role of SEL in promoting inclusive and equitable education; the assessment and evaluation of SEL programs; and the perspectives of teachers and students on SEL implementation and its challenges. This Issue will also explore how SEL can improve overall well-being and life satisfaction in educational settings.

Abstract Deadline: 31 January 2025
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 15 February 2025

Dr. Markus Talvio
Prof. Dr. Marco Ferreira
Prof. Dr. Marlies Matischek-Jauk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social and emotional competence
  • social and emotional leadership
  • school development
  • instruction of social and emotional learning
  • positive psychology
  • teacher training
  • well-being
  • educational psychology
  • pro-social classroom
  • 21st century skills

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop