Supporting Emotional Development in Japanese English Classrooms with Microsoft Reflect

This study explores how technology can support emotional development in Japanese university English classrooms, utilizing Microsoft Reflect as a data-driven emotional check-in tool. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an educational framework that helps students develop emotional awareness, self-management, interpersonal skills, and ethical decision-making. While widely applied in primary and secondary settings, SEL is underutilized in higher education and often lacks cultural adaptation in East Asian classrooms. This study investigates whether digital SEL tools can assist students in articulating emotional states and teachers in responding to classroom climates. Conducted across two private universities over a three-week period, the mixed-methods design included an emotional regulation questionnaire, Reflect-generated student data, and teacher reflection journals. Findings suggest that while Reflect promoted some gains in emotional vocabulary and helped initiate classroom dialogue, its impact was limited by cultural norms discouraging emotional discourse and by a lack of training in interpreting emotional data. Teachers highlighted the importance of human facilitation, contextual knowledge and relational engagement to make meaningful use of such tools. The study concludes that Microsoft Reflect has the potential to support emotional development when integrated into a culturally responsive and relational pedagogy. It also calls for professional development in SEL and critical reflection on the role of digital tools in emotional education. This research contributes to the growing conversations on how technology can be ethically and effectively integrated to support SEL in higher education.