The Role of Schools in Developing Learners’ Social and Emotional Competence: An Ecological Systems and SEL Framework Perspective

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an important dimension of holistic education. This conceptual paper examines the role of schools in supporting SEL by bringing Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory into dialogue with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework and relevant published research. The analysis proposes a four-component framework comprising (1) educational environments and ecological relationships, (2) coordination among educational stakeholders, (3) educational activities and opportunities to practise SEL, and (4) the development of five core SEL competencies. School-level coordination is treated as a cross-cutting function, while assessment and feedback are positioned as mechanisms for reviewing and adjusting the other components. Existing research supports the importance of school climate, implementation quality, and family–school–community partnerships, but also shows variation across programmes and contexts. The contribution lies in distinguishing contextual conditions, coordination mechanisms, practice opportunities, and intended outcomes within one analytical structure. Comparison with existing approaches identifies substantial overlap; the framework’s usefulness for school-level analysis, feasibility, and explanatory value require empirical examination.