Promoting Social–Emotional and Academic Support in Educational Settings

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1642

Special Issue Editors

Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: teacher coaching to enhance intervention implementation; teacher stress and well-being; Asian teachers and students; school psychology training for underrepresented population

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA
Interests: learning disabilities; developmental disabilities; STEM learning; special education and school psychology issues based on a multicultural perspective
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today’s rapidly changing world, students face increasing academic demands alongside a range of social and emotional challenges that can impact their learning, engagement, and overall well-being. At the same time, academic disparities persist, disproportionately affecting students from historically marginalized backgrounds and those with limited access to support systems. Schools and universities serve not only as sites for academic development but also as social environments that shape students’ emotional resilience, motivation, and interpersonal skills. As educators, researchers, and practitioners, we strive to create holistic learning environments. There is an urgent need for evidence-based strategies to enhance academic and social–emotional support. This Special Issue will highlight innovative research, theory, and practice aimed at fostering academic or social–emotional development across diverse educational settings. We encourage contributions that examine a wide range of topics, including but not limited to evaluations of academic and social–emotional interventions implemented in the schools, universities, or other educational contexts; research on using teacher coaching or consultation to facilitate the implementation of intervention support; examination of the impacts of educators’ well-being or stress on their ability to provide effective support to students; exploration of the role of school psychologists, counselors, and educators in enhancing students’ emotional resilience and academic achievement; research on instructional methods that promote academic growth and emotional well-being (e.g., trauma-informed teaching, culturally responsive pedagogy); and how social–emotional and academic support systems can be tailored to meet the needs of diverse populations, including students from historically marginalized backgrounds. This Special Issue invites original empirical research, systematic reviews, theoretical discussions, and practice-oriented articles that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this critical field. We welcome diverse methodological approaches, including but not limited to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. Submissions that offer actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners working at the intersection of academic achievement and social–emotional development are encouraged. By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue will advance understanding and inform best practices that promote both academic success and emotional well-being for students.

Abstract Deadline: April 1st, 2025
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: April 15th, 2025
Submission Deadline: November 30th, 2025

Dr. Jiayi Wang
Prof. Dr. Yi Ding
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–emotional support
  • academic support
  • school-based intervention
  • consultation
  • teacher coaching
  • program development and evaluation
  • teacher well-being
  • student well-being
  • university training
  • school professionals
  • equity and inclusion

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 (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 558 KB  
Article
Fostering Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning Practices in Rural Transitional Kindergarten Classrooms
by Xueqin Lin, Josephine Ingram, Chunyan Yang, Rebecca Cheung and Jin Hyung Lim
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091147 - 23 Aug 2025
Viewed by 640
Abstract
Despite the positive impact of culturally responsive social emotional learning (CR-SEL) in enhancing students’ academic achievement and emotional resilience, less is known about how it is employed in rural school settings. We employed a case study design to explore how rural transitional kindergarten [...] Read more.
Despite the positive impact of culturally responsive social emotional learning (CR-SEL) in enhancing students’ academic achievement and emotional resilience, less is known about how it is employed in rural school settings. We employed a case study design to explore how rural transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers in California practice CR-SEL in their classrooms. Ten TK teachers from seven California rural schools were individually interviewed online. Results of the thematic analysis showed three major themes of CR-SEL practices: multicultural and critical perspective development, inclusive environment, and family engagement. Participants identified different strategies to teach CR-SEL practices in their classrooms. Findings extend our understanding of CR-SEL in practice, and provide practical and research implications for school psychologists, educators, and policymakers. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 478 KB  
Article
The Relationship of Family Cohesion and Teacher Emotional Support with Adolescent Prosocial Behavior: The Chain-Mediating Role of Self-Compassion and Meaning in Life
by Peng Li, Xia Zhou, Jiali Jiang, Shuying Fu, Xuejun Bai and Wenbin Feng
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 1126; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081126 - 19 Aug 2025
Viewed by 445
Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1153 adolescents to examine how emotional support within family and school contexts relates to adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Results indicated that both family cohesion and teacher emotional support were positively and significantly associated with prosocial behavior. Further analysis [...] Read more.
A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1153 adolescents to examine how emotional support within family and school contexts relates to adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Results indicated that both family cohesion and teacher emotional support were positively and significantly associated with prosocial behavior. Further analysis revealed that adolescents’ meaning in life mediated these relationships and that self-compassion together with meaning in life served as a sequential mediating pathway. When the direct effects of family cohesion and teacher emotional support on prosocial behavior were compared, teacher emotional support exhibited a significantly stronger direct association. However, no significant differences emerged between the two sources of support concerning the sequential (chain-mediating) pathways. These findings extend current understanding of adolescent prosocial development and highlight the importance of collaborative efforts by families and schools to meet adolescents’ emotional needs and promote prosocial tendencies. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop