Developing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies Through Cooperative Learning Strategies in the Classroom
Article Sidebar
-
Cooperative Learning, Classroom Interaction, Social-Emotional Learning
Abstract
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has gained increasing attention as a critical component of holistic education that supports students’ academic success, well-being, and interpersonal competence. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies in developing students’ SEL competencies within classroom settings. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was employed involving an experimental group exposed to structured cooperative learning activities and a control group receiving conventional instruction. Quantitative data were collected using standardized SEL questionnaires measuring self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, while qualitative data were obtained through classroom observations and reflective student responses. The findings reveal significant improvements in overall SEL competencies among students participating in cooperative learning, with the strongest gains observed in relationship skills and social awareness, followed by self-management and responsible decision-making. Observational data corroborate these results by demonstrating enhanced peer interaction, emotional regulation, and a more supportive classroom climate. The study concludes that cooperative learning provides authentic social contexts that enable students to practice and internalize SEL competencies through structured interaction and shared responsibility. The novelty of this research lies in its integrative perspective that positions cooperative learning not only as an academic instructional strategy but as a deliberate and sustainable approach to SEL development embedded in everyday classroom practice.
Full text article
References
Bell, B. S. (2008). Active Learning: Effects of Core Training Design Elements on Self-Regulatory Processes, Learning, and Adaptability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 296–316. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.296
Boyatzis, R. E. (2008). Competencies in the 21st century. Journal of Management Development, 27(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710810840730
Chartrand, T. L. (2009). Chapter 5 Human Mimicry. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 41(Query date: 2025-12-15 20:53:01), 219–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)00405-X
Cheng, K. H. (2013). Affordances of Augmented Reality in Science Learning: Suggestions for Future Research. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22(4), 449–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-012-9405-9
Cushman, F. (2013). Action, Outcome, and Value: A Dual-System Framework for Morality. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 17(3), 273–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313495594
Davies, P. T. (2002). Child emotional security and interparental conflict. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 67(3). https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=0040080294&origin=inward
Day, C. (2004). A passion for teaching. In A Passion for Teaching (p. 170). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203464342
Dovidio, J. F. (2004). Aversive Racism. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36(Query date: 2025-12-15 20:53:01), 1–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(04)36001-6
Fischer, F. (2009). Democracy and Expertise: Reorienting Policy Inquiry. In Democracy and Expertise Reorienting Policy Inquiry (p. 352). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282838.001.0001
Goetz, T. (2006). Academic emotions from a social-cognitive perspective: Antecedents and domain specificity of students’ affect in the context of Latin instruction. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(2), 289–308. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709905X42860
Gonçalves, P. (2013). Comparing and combining sentiment analysis methods. Cosn 2013 Proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Online Social Networks, Query date: 2025-12-15 20:53:01, 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1145/2512938.2512951
Graustella, A. J. (2012). A critical review of the influence of oxytocin nasal spray on social cognition in humans: Evidence and future directions. Hormones and Behavior, 61(3), 410–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.01.002
Grieco, J. (2015). Down syndrome: Cognitive and behavioral functioning across the lifespan. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C Seminars in Medical Genetics, 169(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31439
Heide, R. V. D. (2013). Dissecting the uncinate fasciculus: Disorders, controversies and a hypothesis. Brain, 136(6), 1692–1707. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awt094
Hirschfeld, R. M. A. (1977). A Measure of Interpersonal Dependency. Journal of Personality Assessment, 41(6), 610–618. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4106_6
Landry, S. H. (2008). A Responsive Parenting Intervention: The Optimal Timing Across Early Childhood for Impacting Maternal Behaviors and Child Outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 44(5), 1335–1353. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013030
Leppänen, J. M. (2004). Depression biases the recognition of emotionally neutral faces. Psychiatry Research, 128(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2004.05.020
Mather, M. (2005). Aging and motivated cognition: The positivity effect in attention and memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(10), 496–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2005.08.005
Mathews, A. (2005). Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1(Query date: 2025-12-15 20:53:01), 167–195. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.143916
Morgan, M. A. (1995). Differential Contribution of Dorsal and Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex to the Acquisition and Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 109(4), 681–688. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.109.4.681
Neumann, I. D. (2008). Brain oxytocin: A key regulator of emotional and social behaviours in both females and males. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 20(6), 858–865. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2826.2008.01726.x
Pollak, S. D. (2002). Early experience is associated with the development of categorical representations for facial expressions of emotion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99(13), 9072–9076. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.142165999
Roeser, R. (1998). Academic and emotional functioning in early adolescence: Longitudinal relations, patterns, and prediction by experience in middle school. Development and Psychopathology, 10(2), 321–352. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579498001631
Sagvolden, T. (2005). A dynamic developmental theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combined subtypes. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(3), 397–419. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X05000075
Skinner, E. A. (2009). A motivational perspective on engagement and disaffection: Conceptualization and assessment of children’s behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(3), 493–525. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164408323233
Spencer-Rodgers, J. (2010). Cultural differences in expectations of change and tolerance for contradiction: A decade of empirical research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(3), 296–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868310362982
Veit, R. (2002). Brain circuits involved in emotional learning in antisocial behavior and social phobia in humans. Neuroscience Letters, 328(3), 233–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00519-0
Walker, C. D. (2017). Chronic early life stress induced by limited bedding and nesting (LBN) material in rodents: Critical considerations of methodology, outcomes and translational potential. Stress, 20(5), 421–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2017.1343296
Wolraich, M. (2011). ADHD: Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 128(5), 1007–1022. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-2654
Xu, A. (2017). A new chatbot for customer service on social media. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Proceedings, 2017(Query date: 2025-12-15 20:53:01), 3506–3510. https://doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025496
