As a crucial component of holistic education, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has gained much recognition throughout the globe and is found to be critical in fostering students' emotional intelligence, social skills, and overall wellbeing. While numerous programs have been developed in diverse contexts, very few studies have explored the perceptions of school leaders while designing and implementing SEL initiatives in their schools.
The present qualitative study explored how school leaders in Dubai, a cosmopolitan city with diverse student populations, perceived the implementation of a project-based SEL program that was originally developed by Hema Foundation in India.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals and school heads in Dubai and the transcripts were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke's approach.
The findings indicate that school leaders accept the utility of SEL in enhancing student engagement in classrooms, fostering creativity, reflective thinking, and collaboration. They also highlighted that a carefully designed and implemented has the potential to enrich classroom dynamics and support holistic development of students. However, in addition to uncovering its benefits, the school leaders also highlighted the challenges of integrating SEL in school system. They reported that time constraints, difficulties in integrating SEL across different subjects, and the use of Indian-centric films that were perceived as culturally mismatched are significant barriers for the success of such program in Dubai context. Additionally, the need for teachers to be adequately prepared to facilitate SEL discussions in diverse classrooms was also emphasized.
These findings underscore the importance of developing globally inclusive SEL resources and scalable implementation strategies that respect cultural diversity while maintaining program fidelity. By addressing the considerations shared by the school leaders, these programs can be designed to be more effective in ensuring support students' social, emotional, and academic growth, while fostering inclusive learning environments in multicultural settings.