Page 29 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
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the importance of the social and emotional competencies of educational staff
subjective well-being and other domains (e.g. see the review in Durlak et
al., 2011; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Nevertheless, not many education
systems provide guidance to teachers on how to develop the students’ social
and emotional competencies (OECD, 2015).
It is suggested that teachers’ own social and emotional competencies
(SEC) are vital for developing the social and emotional competencies of
students (Schonert-Reichl, Hanson-Peterson et al., 2015) as well as for stu-
dents’ learning and development in general (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009;
Jensen, Bengaard Skibsted, & Vedsgaard Christensen, 2015; Jones, Bouffard,
& Weissbourd, 2013). To better understand the role of teachers’ SEC and
well-being in education, almost a decade ago Jennings and Greenberg
(2009) proposed a theoretical model supported by an extensive literature
review. Teacher’s SEC influence students’ classroom outcomes via three
mediators: (1) the quality of the student-teacher relationship; (2) modelling
SEC for students; and (3) classroom management (ibid.). Taken together,
this helps create a healthy classroom climate which in turn fosters students’
social, emotional and academic outcomes, including staying at school (see
Figure 1). Various contextual school or community factors (not depicted in
the figure; e.g. principal leaderships) may also impact teachers’ SEC.
Figure 1. The relationship between teacher social and emotional competencies and
classroom and student outcomes (Adapted from Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).
The relations shown in bold represent the focus of this article
In this article, we review the literature on the role of the teacher’s SEC
for the student-teacher relationship and ESL. We start by conceptualising
social and emotional competencies, then we review the scientific findings
linking the teacher’s SECs to the quality of student-teacher relationships
29
subjective well-being and other domains (e.g. see the review in Durlak et
al., 2011; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Nevertheless, not many education
systems provide guidance to teachers on how to develop the students’ social
and emotional competencies (OECD, 2015).
It is suggested that teachers’ own social and emotional competencies
(SEC) are vital for developing the social and emotional competencies of
students (Schonert-Reichl, Hanson-Peterson et al., 2015) as well as for stu-
dents’ learning and development in general (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009;
Jensen, Bengaard Skibsted, & Vedsgaard Christensen, 2015; Jones, Bouffard,
& Weissbourd, 2013). To better understand the role of teachers’ SEC and
well-being in education, almost a decade ago Jennings and Greenberg
(2009) proposed a theoretical model supported by an extensive literature
review. Teacher’s SEC influence students’ classroom outcomes via three
mediators: (1) the quality of the student-teacher relationship; (2) modelling
SEC for students; and (3) classroom management (ibid.). Taken together,
this helps create a healthy classroom climate which in turn fosters students’
social, emotional and academic outcomes, including staying at school (see
Figure 1). Various contextual school or community factors (not depicted in
the figure; e.g. principal leaderships) may also impact teachers’ SEC.
Figure 1. The relationship between teacher social and emotional competencies and
classroom and student outcomes (Adapted from Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).
The relations shown in bold represent the focus of this article
In this article, we review the literature on the role of the teacher’s SEC
for the student-teacher relationship and ESL. We start by conceptualising
social and emotional competencies, then we review the scientific findings
linking the teacher’s SECs to the quality of student-teacher relationships
29
