Teaching has never been confined to reading, writing, and mathematics. Every school day, teachers help students navigate conflict, manage frustration, set goals, and build healthy relationships. These abilities sit under the umbrella of social-emotional learning (SEL), and research consistently shows they influence how young people perform in school and in life. Yet new work from the University of Windsor in Canada raises a pressing question: do the teachers entering classrooms today feel prepared to take on this responsibility?
Elizabeth Szymanski, a doctoral candidate in the Joint PhD in Educational Studies at the University of Windsor, has spent months interviewing pre-service teachers across Ontario about their experiences with SEL. Her preliminary findings suggest that many teacher candidates do not feel comfortable or confident teaching social-emotional skills—a gap with real consequences for classrooms across Canada. This article examines her research, explains why SEL matters, and outlines what aspiring teachers and education researchers can learn from the findings.
Interested in pursuing advanced research in education? Explore the Joint PhD in Educational Studies at the University of Windsor to see how doctoral studies can shape your career.
What Is Social-Emotional Learning and Why Does It Matter?
Social-emotional learning refers to the process through which children and adults acquire the skills to understand and manage emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. In elementary and secondary schools, SEL happens every day—sometimes through explicit lessons, but more often woven into how teachers respond to a frustrated student, mediate a disagreement, or encourage a hesitant learner.
The Core Skills Teachers Help Build
Educators who intentionally support social-emotional growth help students develop competencies that extend far beyond a single subject area. These include:
- Social awareness: recognizing the perspectives and emotions of others.
- Communication: expressing needs and ideas clearly and respectfully.
- Problem-solving: working through academic and interpersonal challenges methodically.
- Decision-making: weighing options and understanding consequences.
- Relationship-building: forming and maintaining healthy connections with peers and adults.
- Emotional regulation: identifying feelings and managing reactions constructively.
Szymanski’s research emphasizes that these skills support success not only in school but also in postsecondary education, the workplace, and personal life. Teachers who monitor student wellbeing alongside academic progress are, in effect, preparing young people for every environment they will enter after graduation.
Inside the University of Windsor Study on Pre-Service Teachers
For her doctoral dissertation, Szymanski interviewed 15 pre-service teachers across Ontario to learn how familiar and comfortable they are with SEL and whether it formed part of their teacher education experience. The study is still in progress—she plans to defend her dissertation in Winter 2027—but early insights already carry weight for the field.
The question is timely. SEL has become a visible priority in Canadian schools, with provinces integrating social-emotional expectations into curricula and classrooms. If the teachers entering the profession have not encountered the concept in a meaningful way during their training, schools face a readiness gap that affects both teachers and students.
A Researcher Shaped by Classroom Experience
Szymanski’s path to this research reflects the intersection of education and psychology that defines her work. She completed her BA, Early Childhood Education (ECE) credentials, and BEd through the University of Windsor’s concurrent education program, studying child psychology alongside teaching preparation. She then earned a Master of Education before beginning her doctoral studies, and she has worked as a daycare educator, an elementary school teacher, and currently as a sessional instructor at St. Clair College.
That range of experience shaped her perspective. Reflecting on her own schooling, she notes that explicit attention to relationship-building, confidence, self-esteem, and emotional regulation was uncommon; instruction was far more academically driven. During her own teaching placements, she observed that some associate teachers highlighted SEL while others hesitated to address it. That inconsistency became a driving question behind her dissertation: why do some teacher candidates encounter social-emotional learning while others do not?
Key Findings: Confidence Gaps Among Teacher Candidates
Although the dissertation is not yet complete, Szymanski’s preliminary findings point to three notable patterns.
1. The Terminology Itself Can Be a Barrier
Some participants had never heard the term “social-emotional learning.” Others recognized it but did not feel confident teaching it deliberately. This matters because a teacher who does not know the language of SEL may not recognize opportunities to build those skills intentionally, even when the moments arise naturally in the classroom.
2. Many Candidates Mirror Their Own Schooling
Like Szymanski, many participants went through their own elementary and secondary education without an explicit emphasis on social-emotional development. Without models from their own learning history—or from their teacher preparation programs—they enter placements and first jobs without a clear framework to follow.
3. Fear of Overstepping With Parents
Beyond unfamiliarity, pre-service teachers expressed concern that parents might see SEL instruction as overstepping. That worry can make new teachers hesitant to incorporate social-emotional work into their classrooms, even when they believe it would benefit students. Szymanski calls the overall picture “a real concern,” noting that classrooms require teachers who are prepared for this reality regardless of how confident they feel.
The Evidence Base for Social-Emotional Learning
Why does this readiness gap deserve attention? Because the research literature linking SEL to student success is substantial. Szymanski points out that SEL has been statistically shown to help students build success in the classroom, and not only academically. Students learn best when they can develop social awareness, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, relationship-building, and emotional regulation.
The practical logic is straightforward: a student who cannot manage frustration will struggle through a difficult math unit regardless of ability. A student who cannot communicate with peers will find group work exhausting. Teaching the person, in other words, is inseparable from teaching the curriculum. As Szymanski puts it, teachers deliver curriculum content, but they are also teaching human beings.
These skills compound over time. Students who learn to regulate emotions and build relationships carry those abilities into college, into workplaces, and into their own families. The return on investment for schools that prioritize SEL extends across decades.
How Teacher Education Can Close the Gap
Szymanski is candid that one dissertation cannot resolve the issue. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done. There’s a lot more voices that need to be heard,” she says. She hopes to expand the research to include students themselves, associate teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers. Still, the findings suggest several concrete directions for teacher preparation programs, school leaders, and new teachers.
For Faculties of Education
- Make SEL explicit in coursework. Candidates benefit from learning the vocabulary, the research base, and concrete instructional strategies rather than absorbing the topic by chance.
- Align placements with mentorship. When associate teachers model intentional SEL, candidates see what implementation looks like in real classrooms.
- Address parent communication directly. Preparing candidates to explain the purpose and evidence behind SEL helps defuse the fear of overstepping.
For Aspiring and New Teachers
- Seek out learning on your own. Professional readings, workshops, and conferences on social-emotional learning can supplement what a program covers.
- Observe experienced colleagues. Notice how skilled teachers respond to emotional moments and structure classroom relationships.
- Start small and monitor progress. A brief morning check-in or a reflection routine builds SEL into the school day without requiring a complete curriculum overhaul.
Advancing Research Through the Joint PhD in Educational Studies
Szymanski’s work also illustrates the kind of research careers available to educators who want to influence the profession beyond their own classrooms. The Joint PhD in Educational Studies is offered through the University of Windsor in partnership with other Ontario institutions, allowing doctoral candidates to investigate questions that matter to schools while continuing their professional work.
Her project demonstrates how a practitioner’s question—why did some of my peers emphasize SEL while others avoided it?—can grow into research with implications for teacher education across Canada. For educators considering doctoral study, her path shows that experience in daycares, elementary schools, and colleges can all feed into a meaningful research agenda.
Curious whether doctoral research is the right step for you? Review the Joint PhD in Educational Studies program details and application requirements to plan your next move.
Advice for Prospective Doctoral Students
With the October application deadline for the Joint PhD in Educational Studies approaching, Szymanski offers grounded advice: enjoy the process. Completing a PhD can be overwhelming, she acknowledges, and it demands sustained effort. But for those who love their topic and stay committed, the experience is extremely rewarding. Her goal—to walk across the convocation stage as Dr. Szymanski this June—reflects that persistence.
Why This Research Matters for Canadian Education
The conversation Szymanski has started extends well beyond one university. Schools across Canada continue to expand their attention to student mental health and wellbeing, and teachers remain on the frontline of that work. If pre-service teachers graduate without confidence in social-emotional learning, schools inherit the gap. If faculties of education respond—by embedding SEL in coursework, mentorship, and family communication—new teachers arrive ready.
The ultimate goal, as Szymanski describes it, is to support pre-service teachers so they come out of their programs feeling confident and comfortable teaching SEL. That outcome benefits teachers, certainly, but the larger beneficiaries are the students who will spend their formative years in those classrooms.
Have questions about graduate research in education or the application process? Visit the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education pages for program information, or share your own experiences with social-emotional learning in the comments below.
Final Thoughts
Social-emotional learning is not an add-on to teaching; it is part of how students learn, as Szymanski’s research underscores. The finding that many pre-service teachers feel unprepared to teach SEL is a challenge—but it is also a clear direction for improvement. Teacher education programs, practicing educators, and researchers all have roles to play. For those considering a career in teaching or in education research, the message is encouraging: this is a field where informed, committed people can make a measurable difference. Explore related resources, reach out to program advisors with your questions, and take the next step toward shaping classrooms where both academics and human development thrive.
