UC Riverside

The development of social and emotional skills is crucial to students’ academic and life success and can be fostered through the use of social and emotional learning (SEL) programming (Durlak et al., 2011). When implemented universally, SEL can serve as a preventative public health approach to improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes within school settings (Durlak et al., 2011; Greenberg et al., 2017). A current challenge to the effectiveness of SEL is the limited availability of culturally adapted curricula for racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) youth (Castro-Olivo, 2014; Jagers et al., 2019). As part of a culturally responsive approach to SEL, modifications can be made to standard SEL programming to increase its cultural relevance for REM youth and promote educational equity (Castro-Olivo, 2014; Jagers et al., 2019). Yet, little is known about how educators are making SEL more culturally relevant (Li et al., 2023; Meland & Brion-Meisels, 2024). This study employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research (MMR) design to (1) investigate current SEL implementation practices in elementary schools, (2) identify the nature and goals of modifications made when implementing SEL, and (3) assess the relationship between educators’ multicultural attitudes and modification. Findings from this research can be used to assess whether culturally responsive SEL practices are being enacted across school settings and may provide insight into the types of modifications being made to better support REM students’ social and emotional development.