Social and Emotional Learning and Wellbeing in Education

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last several decades, significant academic interest has been shown in the role played by social and emotional learning (SEL) and wellbeing in a good education, as well as vice versa, i.e., the role played by a good education in SEL and developing wellbeing. There are numerous links among SEL, wellbeing, and the Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education (SDG4). However, there are other obvious links to a wide range of the other SDGs, for example, SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Thus, SEL and wellbeing represent key elements of the transformative power of education.

This Special Issue will focus on the relationship between SEL and wellbeing in education. There are clear similarities and differences between SEL and wellbeing as areas of study within education. SEL and wellbeing are both seen as positive and protective factors that have short, medium, and long-term benefits for participants in education. This contrasts with mental health issues and behavior difficulties in educational settings, which are often viewed as risk factors for individuals and society.

SEL and wellbeing are conceptualized as universally beneficial aspects of education, and many of the attempts to enhance them are being conducted at an inclusive and whole-population level. Again, this contrasts with mental health support in educational settings, which is often targeted towards individuals or small groups with immediate and significant needs. In addition, SEL and wellbeing are not solely the preserve of educational settings. Cooperation among families, communities, and educational settings is required in order to ensure good SEL and develop wellbeing.

Despite the similarities between SEL and wellbeing, there are also differences that are often not explicitly made clear. These include different disciplinary perspectives and theoretical underpinnings within the two areas of study. There can also be methodological differences in SEL and wellbeing research, as well as a lack of standardization around the terminology used in these different fields of study within education.

With these points in mind, this Special Issue will provide a valuable resource by gathering expertise on the nuances of similarity and difference between SEL and wellbeing in education. We are encouraging submissions to this Special Issue with the following themes as a guide:

• The main focus should be on SEL and wellbeing in educational settings (addressing either or both areas). Studies on mental health and behavioral issues can be included for comparison purposes rather than being the central focus.
• We encourage applied studies. For example, the design, implementation, and evaluation of SEL and wellbeing programs in educational settings are within our scope. Studies for which researchers and practitioners have worked in partnership are especially encouraged. The inclusion of practitioners’ voices as co-authors or participants is also welcomed.
• Specific methods that would be appropriate include those that look at population level data and support in education, schools, and communities, such as the secondary analysis of large data sets, evidence and gap maps, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, logic modelling/design thinking, situational analyses, implementation science, and evaluation methods. However, we also invite submissions of theoretical papers, especially those that explore the operational definitions of variables and concepts within SEL and wellbeing in education.
• Contextually, this Special Issue will explore any level of education (from infancy to older participants) in any education or learning setting, in any global location.

Dr. Liam O'Hare
Dr. Laura Dunne
Dr. Sarah Miller
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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education 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 1800 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.

• education, social and emotional learning
• wellbeing
• universal
• whole school
• whole community
• applied