Social-emotional learning (SEL) is defined as “the process through which individuals acquire and apply knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, show empathy, establish positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Self-awareness refers to the ability to be conscious of one’s inner life, including feelings, thoughts, behaviors, values, preferences, objectives, strengths, problems, attitudes, and mindsets, and how these aspects influence behavior and decisions in various circumstances.

Abilities that foster self-awareness include:

1. Understanding one’s feelings and their impact on others
2. Recognizing the connection between one’s feelings, ideas, ideals, and actions
3. Exploring biases and prejudices
4. Building self-confidence
5. Developing a sense of purpose

Self-management involves guiding and adjusting one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to make choices and achieve goals that benefit oneself and others.

Self-management abilities include:

1. Maintaining appropriate limits
2. Establishing individual and group goals
3. Demonstrating independence and resilience
4. Staying focused
5. Utilizing criticism productively

Self-awareness and self-management are interconnected. To be able to pause and calm down when agitated, for instance (self-management), one needs to be able to identify and categorize their emotions as well as be aware of how those feelings may be influencing their behavior choices.

Why are they Important?

Research shows that students with excellent social and emotional skills outperform their peers academically, have closer bonds with teachers and peers, feel overall well-being, and exhibit less risky behavior. These skills also contribute to positive outcomes in terms of education, employment, and mental health in adulthood.

Components of self-awareness and self-management have specific impacts:

1. Emotion knowledge: Children who can correctly identify emotions from facial expressions and apply appropriate emotions to situations perform better academically, exhibit less disruptive behavior, and display prosocial behavior.
2. Emotional intelligence: Teenagers with higher emotional intelligence scores excel academically, experience fewer mental health problems, and hold positive attitudes toward their teachers.
3. Emotion management: All students benefit academically, establish stronger relationships, experience better mental health, and engage in less risky behavior when they can effectively manage their emotions.
4. Self-control: Students with self-control perform better on tests, achieve higher grades, and are more likely to graduate from high school and college. Self-control also enhances social skills, and self-worth, and reduces risky behavior.
5. Growth mindset: Students with a growth mindset regarding intelligence tend to outperform their peers academically and experience enhanced academic and social success.
6. Goal setting: Setting goals is associated with higher academic success, creativity, problem-solving ability, and lower levels of melancholy and anxiety. Students with a high level of hope can navigate challenges and possess the confidence to accomplish their objectives.

Overall, fostering social and emotional intelligence in students improves well-being and social skills, reduces biases, and promotes prosocial behavior.