Social Emotional Learning: A Contemporary Analysis of Teacher Educators’ Understanding and Awareness in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper examines the understanding and awareness of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) among teacher educators in universities across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, through the lens of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. Despite SEL’s international recognition as essential to holistic pedagogy, teacher educators often lack the conceptual clarity and practical skills needed to model and integrate SEL into teacher preparation curricula. A quantitative survey design was employed, using purposive sampling to collect data from seventy-nine teacher educators across seven universities. A validated, self-developed instrument with high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.841) measured participants’ conceptual understanding, perceived importance, and awareness of SEL-related pedagogical practices. Descriptive and inferential analyses revealed consistently low levels of SEL awareness and understanding, with mean scores significantly below the scale’s neutral point. Findings also indicated no statistically significant gender-based or inter-institutional differences, suggesting that SEL deficits are systemic rather than demographic. Correlation and regression analyses underscored that perceived importance strongly predicts awareness of instructional practices, emphasizing the link between belief and implementation. The study concludes that institutional gaps in pre-service and in-service training, along with insufficient curricular integration, are primary barriers to SEL adoption. It recommends systemic reforms, including embedding SEL standards into accreditation frameworks, enhancing institutional support through dedicated resources and communities of practice, and providing sustained, experiential professional development to empower teacher educators as effective SEL facilitators and role models.

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