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Social-Emotional Learning vs. Socioemotional Learning: A Linguistic Exploration

Published on July 29, 2024

In education and psychology, the acronym SEL commonly stands for Social-Emotional Learning. This term refers to a structured framework that is designed to cultivate students’ emotional-intelligence skills and social skills, and having and using these skills are crucial for personal development and academic success (Greenberg et al., 2017). However, a question often arises regarding the suitable written form of this term: should it be “social-emotional learning” or “socioemotional learning”? Are both forms acceptable?

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): This term explicitly separates the domains of social interactions and emotional development. It underscores integrating both aspects in educational practices to enhance students’ emotional awareness, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills (Durlak et al., 2011).

Socioemotional Learning: This alternative form combines the terms “socio-” (from the Latin “socius,” meaning companion or partner) and “emotional.” This coalescing implies a joint consideration of social and emotional factors without explicit separation. It offers a unified perspective on the interplay between social contexts and emotional experiences (Brackett & Katulak, 2007).

The American Psychological Association (APA) style guide clarifies such terminology matters. According to APA 7th edition guidelines, to introduce an acronym, write out the entire term or title in initial use, place the acronym in parentheses after the first reference, and use the acronym thereafter (American Psychological Association, 2020). Therefore, regardless of whether one uses “social-emotional learning” or “socioemotional learning,” consistency in usage is key once the acronym, SEL, is established.

Scholars and researchers tend to favor “social-emotional learning” in academic discourse. This preference may stem from the term’s widespread adoption in educational research and policy documents (Durlak et al., 2011). The hyphenated form clarifies the distinct yet interconnected nature of social and emotional competencies targeted by SEL programs.

In contrast, “socioemotional learning” appears less frequently in scholarly literature but is occasionally employed in contexts that emphasize the holistic integration of social and emotional competencies (Brackett & Katulak, 2007).

From a practical standpoint, the choice between “social-emotional learning” and “socioemotional learning” may depend on the writer’s preference, institutional guidelines, or specific disciplinary norms. Both forms are technically correct and convey similar meanings, which focus on developing emotional-intelligence skills and interpersonal skills that are crucial for students’ personal growth and academic achievement.

“Social-emotional learning” and “socioemotional learning” are acceptable terms in educational and psychological literature. The former emphasizes the distinct yet interrelated components of social interactions and emotional development. The latter integrates these aspects under a unified perspective. When choosing how to write these terms, you should consider clarity and consistency and adhere to disciplinary norms or style guidelines.

As educators and researchers continue to explore and refine approaches to enhancing students’ emotional-intelligence skills and social skills, the terminology used, whether “social-emotional learning” or “socioemotional learning,” should reflect the nuanced goals and methodologies of SEL programs.

No matter which term you prefer, we invite you to explore our free, evidence-informed SEL learning modules to learn new strategies to support your military-connected students.

Reference(s):


Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1177

Fenning, P. (2022). School supports for students in military families. The Guilford Press.

Forman, S. G., & Crystal, C. D. (2015). Systems consultation for multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS): Implementation issues. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(2–3), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2014.963226

Hernandez Finch, M. E. (2012). Special considerations with response to intervention and instruction for students with diverse backgrounds. Psychology in the Schools, 49(3), 285-296.

Lee, A., & Gage, N. A. (2020). Updating and expanding systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports. Psychology in the Schools, 57, 783–804. https://doi.org/1010.1002/pits.22336


MTSS Research: What do we know?

Published on August 16, 2023

Educators have heard it before: “Use evidence-based curriculum!” “Use MTSS!” “Use PBIS!”

Policy initiatives such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) emphasize the need for schools to use research-based, high-quality instruction and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) models. However, these initiatives do not outline how schools should implement these models.

A cursory Google search will immediately generate a list of thousands of resources that address what MTSS is, how MTSS could be implemented, how to use social-emotional learning (SEL), and how to use school-wide positive behavior support (PBIS). What becomes difficult, then, is determining which resources are research based and of high quality and how you can use them to move forward and address your school’s needs. The processes of determining what models will address the needs in your school, implementing a systems-wide change, and managing a variety of different perspectives and opinions can be daunting. Even the most seasoned educator may become confused as they consider the best way to implement MTSS. Despite this reasonable confusion, evidence and supports do exist.

Research suggests that MTSS is effective with subpopulations, and, therefore, it is recommended that a similar approach be applied to military-connected students (Hernandez Finch, 2012; Fenning, 2022). There is solid, extensive evidence that MTSS has positive effects for behavior and academic outcomes (Lee & Gage, 2020) for students. Individual trials and meta-analyses, in which findings are summarized across research studies, seem to agree that MTSS is worth the investment in order to help the whole child. But, something is missing. Many studies focus on the general implementation of initiatives like school-wide PBIS or SEL, and they do not help educators understand how to make the small decisions. Educators may still have questions such as which core behavior expectations are the best in PBIS, is it better to use tokens or tickets for reinforcement, who should be on the MTSS team, or which universal screener or progress-monitoring tools will be most effective in a given school. These gaps exist because randomizing each of these decisions and comparing the outcomes would be nearly impossible for researchers. The answers to these questions will vary depending on the needs of individual schools. Thus, the trainings on this website often describe various choices for schools in order to offer schools options that will best address their specific needs.

While an MTSS structure is often tailored to a school, there are some common themes that can help educators use MTSS successfully. For example, when schools implement quality instruction with high fidelity, students have better outcomes, and MTSS frameworks tend to sustain better over time (Foreman & Crystal, 2015). In fact, there are probably several, or even many, evidence-based programs that could serve your school’s needs. Therefore, selecting interventions that fit with your school’s requirements and that can be implemented with fidelity by your teachers and the school community is more important than spending time searching for the “perfect” intervention. In another example, consider your MTSS team members: if you have a team that works well together, has a variety of professionals present, is invested in the process, meets regularly, and carefully documents their progress, then deciding whether Mrs. Jones or Mr. Ramirez should serve as representatives is just a matter of feasibility for your staff.

The take-home message is this: MTSS works, and educators and other school professionals can feel good about that. The difficult work will be deciding what your school needs, determining what procedures and resources you already provide, and deciding to implement. Remember, MTSS is a continuous improvement process, and it offers you the freedom to adjust and try again to find solutions to your school’s and your students’ needs!

If you are interested in learning more, explore our free MTSS learning modules or complete MTSS toolkit.

We hope this information is useful in your professional practice. If you have questions or need help, visit the Contact Us page to reach out to us. If you would like to receive updates about new trainings or resources, sign up for our Mailing List.

Reference(s):


Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1177

Fenning, P. (2022). School supports for students in military families. The Guilford Press.

Forman, S. G., & Crystal, C. D. (2015). Systems consultation for multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS): Implementation issues. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(2–3), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2014.963226

Hernandez Finch, M. E. (2012). Special considerations with response to intervention and instruction for students with diverse backgrounds. Psychology in the Schools, 49(3), 285-296.

Lee, A., & Gage, N. A. (2020). Updating and expanding systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports. Psychology in the Schools, 57, 783–804. https://doi.org/1010.1002/pits.22336


Happy (Belated) Teacher Appreciation Week!

Published on May 15, 2023
A person wearing glasses looks up toward the sunlight while smiling.

As another school year comes to an end, we wish to acknowledge the hard work teachers have put in to serving their students this year. Teachers play a critical role in students’ lives from engaging in academic instruction to fostering social and emotional skills in their students.

Teaching can be a rewarding and satisfying profession; however, it can also be a challenging role as teachers may find dissonance as they work to promote self-caring behaviors in their students but find that they, themselves, have little time to engage in healthy practices. Demands, such as meeting the needs of students and parents, working long hours, and changing roles and expectations, can cause teachers to experience burnout and compassion fatigue. A 2022 Gallup poll listed teaching as the profession with the highest rates of burnout, and more than 1 in 10 teachers report feeling either always or very often burned out at work. Most educators chose their profession because they want to teach and impart knowledge to young people and support their students during these developmental years.  Now that this year’s teacher appreciation week has come and gone, however, we challenge educators to learn how and support themselves as they work to create a healthier work-life balance.

So, what can teachers do to prevent, or heal from, burnout?

  1. Make yourself a priority. Remind yourself that you are important! You deserve downtime and can take time to increase your well-being. Many educators often prioritize the needs of dozens, if not hundreds, of students over their own needs. Find times to check in with yourself throughout the day and assess your personal priorities. Take breaks to eat, rest, and engage in positive self-talk.
  2. Establish boundaries. Define your boundaries regarding your workload, let others know what these limits are, and stick to them. Consider setting boundaries around answering phone calls and emails, determine how much work you’re willing to do from home or in off hours, and even reflect on how much time you spend thinking about work. A boundary is a rule that you set for yourself; while you can’t say, “I will not answer this parent’s emails because he’s annoying me,” you might be able to say “my boundary is that I will only answer questions once, during my designated office hours, and then I will refer parents who still have questions to my website’s FAQ page or to the principal for more information.”
  3. Make a plan. Consider multiple areas of your well-being, such as professional, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Are you meeting all of your needs? If the answer is no, consider what small steps you can take to meet your needs. Make specific goals, and keep track of your progress to motivate yourself to keep engaging in positive behaviors.
  4. Keep learning. The School Resources to Support Military-Connected Students website offers a free series of on-demand trainings for educators that address burnout and compassion fatigue, personal self-care, professional self-care, mindfulness, and social-media use. Each of these trainings takes about 10 minutes to complete and can help remind teachers about best practices in burnout prevention.

To visit these trainings and learn more about self-care and burnout prevention, please click here: http://schoolresources.militaryfamilies.psu.edu/modules/series/self-care/

Happy teacher appreciation week and thank you for all you do to support students! We hope these resources are useful in your professional practice. If you have questions or need help, visit the Contact Us page to reach out to us. If you would like to receive updates about new trainings or resources, sign up for our Mailing List.

Reference(s):

Gallup (2022). Gallup panel workforce study. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace-2022-report.aspx

Strategies to Meet the Socioemotional and Behavioral Needs of Military-Connected Students

Published on March 1, 2023
Group of high school students sitting at desks in a classroom and writing on paper

The goal of the School Resources to Support Military-Connected Students website is to translate evidence-informed practice for the benefit of all military-connected students. Fenning (2022) recommends implementing a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework in schools. This framework can help schools make data-based decisions about the behavioral and socioemotional needs of military-connected students and determine, deliver, and evaluate interventions to all students (tier 1), to groups of students who need additional help (tier 2), and to individual students who have the highest needs (tier 3).

In tier 1, teachers can integrate low-intensity, classroom-based strategies with all students in order to improve student engagement (Pullen & Kennedy, 2018). Small, simple shifts in teacher behavior can lead to positive changes in student performance (Horner & Sugai, 2015). However, when tier 1 strategies are not working, schools may rush to implement tier 2 or tier 3 strategies with large numbers of students, but doing this may not be the best use of valuable resources (i.e., the time of school-based mental health personnel). Instead, schools should try to improve the existing tier 1 strategies that are being implemented by teachers as part of their instruction (Pullen & Kennedy, 2018).

To help schools meet the socioemotional and behavioral needs of military-connected students, we have created free, evidence-informed online learning modules that contain strategies that teachers can implement with all students at the tier 1 level in the classroom. Our learning modules typically take 10-15 minutes each to complete, and you can choose which modules to focus on based on your needs. To learn more about the modules, click on the links below. If you have additional questions about the online learning modules, explore the FAQs page.

Learning Modules

Classroom Management

  • This series is a collection of 18 trainings that are related to promoting positive student behavior, responding to student misbehavior, and modifying student behavior.

Socioemotional Learning

  • This series is a collection of 18 trainings that are related to integrating socioemotional learning (SEL) into academic content, incorporating explicit SEL instruction, and assimilating SEL intervention.

Thank you for all you do to support military-connected students. We hope these resources are useful in your professional practice. If you have questions or need help, visit the Contact Us page to reach out to us. If you would like to receive updates about new trainings or resources, sign up for our Mailing List.

Reference(s):


Fenning, P. (2022). School supports for students in military families. The Guilford Press.

Horner, R. H., & Sugai, G. (2015). School-wide PBIS: An example of applied behavior analysis implemented at a scale of social importance. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8(1), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-015-0045-4.

Lane, K. L., Oakes, W. P., & Menzies, H. M. (2019). Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered (CI3T) models of prevention: The role of systemic screening to inform instruction. In P. C. Pullen & M. J. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of response to intervention and multi-tiered systems of support (pp. 63-75). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Response-to-Intervention-and-Multi-Tiered-Systems-of-Support/Pullen-Kennedy/p/book/9780415626040


Integrating Socioemotional Learning into Your Existing Practices

Published on January 12, 2023
A psychologist sits in the background, using emotion emoticons of a smile and frown with a child with an autism spectrum disorder.

By the mid-point mark in a school year, educators can probably identify some students who would benefit from additional support as these students try to manage their emotions and/or engage in social situations. Many educators understand the benefits of implementing socioemotional learning (SEL) with their students, but they do not know what resources are available or cannot find time to address this topic in an existing curriculum. The School Resources to Support Military-Connected Families website offers free, online learning modules that can help school personnel integrate SEL into their existing practices. Links to nine 10-to-15-minute learning modules that include a brief overview of the research, tools, and strategies that you can integrate into your professional practice are listed below. We encourage you to explore any and all that interest you!

Learning Modules

Active Listening

  • Effectively utilize active-listening strategies to demonstrate empathy and foster change when working with students.

Integrating SEL Competencies into Instruction

  • Integrate SEL competencies into academic instruction.

Staying Neutral

  • Remain calm, and stay neutral during problem situations.

Validating Emotions

  • Model emotional awareness and emotional regulation.

Warm Demander

  • Communicate a demand for mutual respect and academic effort, and demonstrate a sense of genuine caring for students.

Maintain Rigorous Expectations

  • Maintain high expectations of students regardless of other factors.

Responsibility and Choice

  • Provide opportunities for students to make decisions and show responsibility.

Cooperative Learning and Socioemotional Learning

  • Structure cooperative learning activities in a manner that encourages the development of students’ interpersonal skills.

Brain Breaks

  • Utilize brain breaks to help students re-focus as necessary.

Thank you for all you do to support military-connected students. We hope these resources are useful in your professional practice. If you have questions or need help, visit the Contact Us page. If you would like to receive updates about new trainings or resources, sign up for our Mailing List.

Reference(s):

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2023). What does the research say? CASEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-does-the-research-say/