Socioemotionally Responsive Teaching in Secondary Education: Teachers’ Preparedness, Perceptions, and Training Needs

Abstract

There is currently limited evidence available regarding secondary teachers’ preparedness to integrate social and emotional learning explicitly into subject-specific teaching, particularly within the British context examined. This study aimed to analyse the perceived preparedness, self-efficacy, experiences, and training needs of pre-service and in-service secondary teachers regarding the integration of social and emotional learning into teaching practice. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design using the TSEL (Brackett et al., 2012) survey, two open-ended questions, three self-efficacy items, and focus groups for data collection was employed in a convenience sampling of secondary pre-service and in-service teachers in the SouthWest England. A total of N=100 teachers initiated the survey, but only N=78 completed it, while N=7 participants took part in the focus groups. Descriptive statistics indicated that 73% of teachers agreed that their school expects them to address students’ SEL needs, and 93% agreed to receive SEL training. A large majority (88%) reported taking care of students’ SEL needs comes naturally to them, but only 56% reported feeling confident in explicitly integrating SEL into their subject topic. Thematic analysis identified four main themes as central to affective teaching including personal preparedness and confidence; curricular and institutional barriers; inclusion, neurodiversity, and emotional safety; and professional development and support needs. Both quantitative and qualitative data have shown that although teachers are willing to implement SEL in their teaching practice, they are lacking the pedagogical knowledge and instructional strategies for teaching SEL in the classroom. Grounded in Jennings and Greenberg’s Prosocial Classroom Model, findings of this study provide preliminary evidence concerning secondary teachers' perceived preparedness, curricular barriers, institutional support, and teacher-training needs.