The rise of social and emotional development in the global education discourse, 1998–2023

Social-emotional development (SED) has increasingly become a key focus of education policy worldwide, seen as vital for enhancing academic achievement, prosocial behaviour, well-being, and life success. This study empirically examines the rising prominence of SED in the global education discourse between 1998–2023 through content analysis of educational publications by two key intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), UNESCO and the OECD. The findings indicate a rising attention to SED. The inner emotional state of the child is increasingly constructed as a space for social change through education. In contrast, emphases on collective values-oriented educational goals are stagnating, including moral, civics, and character education, and emphases on globalised versions of values education, such as human rights and global citizenship education, are declining. These findings mark a shift away from educational socialisation of explicit collectively-oriented values within and across nations and towards further centreing of the individual in society through emotional growth and skills development.