Teachers’ Social-Emotional Competence Matters: Key to Successful SEL Implementation and Student Social-Emotional Growth

Background: School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) has accumulated substantial global evidence as an effective intervention for promoting healthy youth development. In routine school settings, however, teachers’ own social-emotional competence (SEC) may influence SEL implementation quality and subsequent student outcomes. This effect may be particularly pronounced in sociocultural contexts where SEL is relatively new to educators and implementation support remains limited. Despite this, empirical research investigating the role of teacher SEC in SEL implementation and student outcomes has been scarce. This study examined the relationships among teacher SEC, SEL implementation, and student SEC growth in Hong Kong.

Methods: A locally-developed lesson-based SEL program was implemented among Grades 3-6 primary school students in Hong Kong in 2024-25. The sample comprised SEL-implementing class teachers (n=155; 80.0% women; teaching experience years: M=14, SD=9.8) and their students (n=1,778; 52.9% girls; age in years: M=10.2, SD=1.1) across 23 schools. Fourteen schools adopted an introductory one-session version, while nine schools adopted an extended six-session version. Teachers received 30-minute training on the program overview before implementation.

Student SEC was measured at pre- and post-intervention using the 22-item Delaware Social and Emotional Competencies Scale–Student (4-point Likert-type; Cronbach’s alpha=.94 and .96 across waves). Teacher SEC at baseline was measured using the 27-item Multidimensional Assessment of Teacher Social-Emotional Competence, comprising six subscales (6-point Likert-type; Cronbach’s alpha=.92 for the total score and [.70, .85] across subscales). SEL implementation outcomes were measured at post-intervention using two student-rated indicators: teaching quality (6-point Likert-type) and student engagement (5-point Likert-type). Covariates included basic demographics (student gender, grade; teacher gender, years of experience), intervention mode (introductory versus extended), and teachers’ non-lesson-based routine SEL practices at baseline.

Results: Students demonstrated a small gain in SEC following the program (t=4.68, p<.001, d=0.11). Multilevel regression analysis found that baseline teacher SEC predicted student SEC at post-intervention (p<.05), controlling for student baseline SEC and covariates. The effect of baseline teacher SEC on student SEC growth was mediated by SEL teaching quality (p<.05) and student engagement level (p<.05), respectively.

Subscale analysis revealed that teachers’ responsible decision-making predicted student SEC growth (p<.05), with its effect mediated through both higher teaching quality (p<.001) and greater student engagement (p<.01). Teachers’ emotion management was also linked to student SEC growth (p<.05), with student engagement serving as a mediator (p<.05). Although teachers’ social awareness for equity and inclusion did not exhibit a main effect on student SEC growth, it was indirectly related through both teaching quality (p<.001) and student engagement (p<.01).

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of teacher SEC in achieving more effective implementation and program outcomes in real-world SEL practice settings. Interventions focused on enhancing teacher SEC may serve as a valuable initial step in supporting school-based SEL implementation, particularly in contexts where SEL is newly adopted. The analysis across teacher SEC subscales provides further insights into specific target areas for professional development that may lead to better student outcomes. Future research should replicate these findings across diverse settings to inform effective strategies for successful SEL implementation and scale-up.