Social and emotional learning: Reflections on theory and practice in school Portuguese

Does the school of nowadays enhances the social and emotional learning of the students? Within a qualitative exploratory study, twelve teachers' discourses were analysed, mainly females (75%), with ages between 32 and 57 years-old (M=44.3; SD=8.95), of which 50% teaches or have taught social and emotional learning courses, aiming to contribute to the understanding of school's role on the promotion of social and emotional skills in the secondary education. Using an open-ended questionnaire, designed specifically to this study, teachers' perceptions about the importance of these areas, the strategies used on their promotion and their perspective about the current curriculum modifications in the Portuguese context were explored. The data analysis was conducted using the NVivo 8.0. In general, although all the participants revealed an implicit recognition of the importance of this area and the investment in curricular and co-curricular strategies to approach it of the students, the social and emotional learning still requires redefinition and valorisation as a particular objective of the school's role in order to become a reality to all students. In that way, social and emotional learning can contribute to promote and anchor the student's cognitive development within a more harmonious global development framework.