Significance

The absence of social and emotional education in secondary school may be due to a multitude of reasons, such as the segregation of subjects, the short interactions with students and a focus on teaching the curriculum. Furthermore, intelligence quotient (IQ) is more prevalent than emotional intelligence (EQ) to gauge student success.
The two forms of intelligence predominant in schools are verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical (Gardner, 1999). According to Gardner (1999), there are multiple forms of intelligence. Intelligence, aptitude and achievement tests all emphasize linguistic and logical capabilities. This presents a view of human intelligence is that of linguistics and logic. Other forms of intelligence such as interpersonal and intrapersonal are less valued and emphasized by society. This is evident by what and how we teach. Students are guided in writing essays, given opportunities for public speaking and taught to break down problems into manageable steps. How often do we teach lessons on goal setting, personal responsibility and emotion regulation? Perhaps there isn’t enough time to teach everything important or perhaps we need to re-evaluate the hierarchy of intelligence.
Research has shown the beneficial effect of emotional health and intelligence on academic success (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). As with all forms of intelligence, intrapersonal or emotional intelligence can be increased with guidance (Johnson, 2016). Students who develop high emotional intelligence have “positive attitude, greater adaptability in stressful situations, improved interpersonal relationships and increased orientation towards positive values” (Johnson, 2016). These are all characteristic that will guide students towards self-actualization and if not, allow them to be the best they can be.
Education pedagogy changes often with the emergence of new research. The constant introduction of new ways of teaching and learning can confuse and overwhelm educators. This leads to reluctancy in the adoption. Although social and emotional learning is not a new framework, its implementation and usage is highly dependent on the individual teacher and school. SEL is “an evidence-based framework for preventing problems and promoting students’ well-being and success” (CASEL, 2016). It is aimed to develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, such as the recognition and management of emotions. Therefore, education in SEL and emotional intelligence can guide students and teachers towards a socially and emotionally competent self and society.