Impact of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)–Based Instruction on Students’ Collaborative Learning Skills at the Secondary School Level: Gender Wise Comparison

Abstract

With an emphasis on gender-wise comparisons of teachers' perceptions, this study investigated the effects of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)-based instruction on secondary students' collaborative learning abilities. Effective collaboration requires competencies like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and social responsibility, all of which SEL highlights. A validated Likert-scale questionnaire measuring four dimensions of collaborative learning was completed by 135 secondary school teachers (73 male and 62 female) using a quantitative survey design. While there were no discernible gender differences in teamwork, problem-solving, or interpersonal and social responsibility skills, data analysis using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests showed that male teachers believed SEL instruction had a slightly greater impact on students' communication skills. Overall results show that SEL-based instruction improves students' collaborative skills in both genders. In order to support students' social-emotional and collaborative development, the study emphasizes the significance of incorporating SEL into secondary curricula and putting in place gender-sensitive teacher training.

Keywords: Social-Emotional Learning, Collaborative Learning, Secondary School Level