Scientific and practical foundations for the development of social-emotional skills in English language classrooms of rural schools

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe how social-emotional learning elements are reflected in English language instruction in rural schools in Kyrgyzstan. A convergent mixed-methods design combined questionnaire data from 192 students and 26 teachers, thematic analysis of open-ended responses, and 18 classroom observations. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed separately and integrated during interpretation by comparing findings related to each research question. The results showed that 76% of students preferred pair and group work, while collaborative formats were recorded in 12 of the 18 observed lessons. Role-playing, discussions, teacher encouragement, and peer interaction were reported or observed as features of emotionally supportive English lessons. In addition, 92% of teachers expressed willingness to develop their SEL-related competence if methodological support was provided. The findings describe participants' perceptions, self-reported practices, and observed classroom behaviours; they do not establish that SEL caused changes in language proficiency or socialemotional outcomes. The results may inform the development of context-sensitive methodological resources and teacher-training initiatives for resource-constrained rural schools.