When we refer to emotional intelligence, socioaffective skills, social and emotional skills or others, what do we mean by that? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines these skills as "a set of capacities that enable everyone to adopt adaptable and positive behavior to effectively meet the demands of daily life". More specifically, we think of the development of empathy, respect for others, the ability to ask for or offer help, the ability to regulate one's own emotions and to discern those of others in different situations. .

Increasingly, education is concerned with this aspect of human development. It is a particularly large field of research that studies something infinitely complex: human emotions. Although we are now able to read emotions by measuring brain activity, there are no less than 27 emotional states in humans, each with subtle variations.

Appeared in the late 1990s, socioemotional learning (SEL, or SEL in English) immerses young people in an environment that promotes social interaction. Several methods can be implemented in this regard at school, such as role plays, artistic activities, sensory stimulation, etc. The use of digital tools also advantageously supports this learning.

As can be read in the article Advocacy for an education based on emotional intelligence, by Christophe Haag, professor and researcher in social psychology at EM Lyon, from kindergarten to higher education, no less than 213 scientific studies involving 270,034 children have shown that following a program focusing on the development of social and emotional skills ensures that young people "are able, much more than those who have followed a standard school course, to regulate their emotions, to know take their turn, manage their anxiety, their stress, and resolve conflicts by negotiating more subtly and skillfully ”. In addition, they would be less prone to depression and less aggressive, would commit less delinquency, have more self-confidence, assert their leadership better, make responsible decisions more easily without fear of failure and develop a strong taste. for social justice. They would also have better academic results than the average ... In short, the positive effects are there!

Good news: these skills can be acquired, taught and assessed. This is precisely what we explore in this thematic issue.

Please note! The English translation of this text is automated - Errors (sometimes hilarious!) can creep in! ;)

Audrey Miller
Editor
@millaudrey

Martine Rioux
Editor in Chief
@riomarti

Sources: Haag, C. (2017, July 23). Advocacy for education based on emotional intelligence. The Conversation.
Labelle, A. (2019, June 18). No less than 27 human emotions. Radio-Canada.
Minichiello, F. (2017). Socio-emotional skills: research and initiatives International review of education of Sèvres, 76; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/ries.6008