Practices of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Teachers in Promoting Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL): Basis for a Sel Primer

Abstract

Socio-emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly recognized as essential in early childhood education; however, there remains a gap in contextualized, practice-based resources that reflect teachers’ lived experiences in resource-limited settings. This study explored the practices, challenges, and coping mechanisms of thirteen Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) teachers in the Cervantes District as a basis for developing a teaching primer for SEL. Using a qualitative research design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically.
Findings revealed that teachers implement SEL through embedded practices such as emotional grounding routines, play-based interactions, teacher modeling, and environmental scaffolding. Despite challenges including diverse learner behaviors, limited resources, large class sizes, and insufficient training, teachers demonstrated resilience through adaptive strategies such as flexible instruction, improvisation, reflective practice, and collaboration. These findings highlight that effective SEL implementation is both teacher-driven and context-dependent.
Based on the findings, a contextualized teaching primer entitled The Nurturing Compass was developed, integrating research-based strategies aligned with established theories of emotional intelligence, sociocultural learning, psychosocial development, and social learning. The study underscores the importance of aligning classroom practices, teacher preparation, and institutional support to ensure meaningful and sustainable SEL implementation in early childhood education.