Enhancing SEL: An exploration of Black caregivers’ perceptions of social-emotional learning competencies

Recent data reveal an increase in suicide rates among Black youth in the US, highlighting unaddressed mental health needs among this population. To address mental health challenges, schools often implement social-emotional learning (SEL) programming. While participation in SEL curricula improves student emotional and behavioral outcomes, these positive effects are often not generalizable to minority populations, a finding especially evident among Black students. To address this equity gap, cultural adaptation is encouraged. Given caregivers’ role in supporting the development of youth’s social-emotional skills and cultural identities, practitioners should seek their perspectives to enhance the cultural validity of SEL and their underlying framework. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, this study recruited 21 Black caregivers, as part of a larger sample of racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) caregivers, to participate in semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions of SEL. Thematic analysis generated three major themes, guided by Boykin’s Triple Quandary theory: (1) conceptual alignment with the CASEL framework with an emphasis on normative behaviors, (2) social-emotional competencies uphold communal relationships, and (3) self-awareness is a foundational skill. The findings can help inform future adaptations of SEL programming for Black youth and their families.