An integrative review on social emotional Learning (SEL) programs as a tool to support primary school teachers.

A development of the socio-affective competencies is a main goal in primary education because they are fundamental both to foster the development of positive relationships within the peer community, and to support the achievement of the outcomes envisaged by the educational and scholastic contexts. In recent years, many scholars have started to pay attention to this topic and the teachers have seen an increase in projects aimed at developing the socio-emotional skills of the children. In particular, the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an approach that has become more and more popular. According to it, the children develop the necessary knowledge and competencies to be engaged in positive social interactions and manage their emotions. These two elements are put in connection because it is impossible to establish effective positive relationships and act responsible behaviors, thus handling challenging circumstances, without a good emotional self-awareness. The relevance of this topic and the awareness of the increasingly pressing educational needs emerging from real contexts, have led to a multiplication of projects concerning the development of the socio-affective competencies, and particularly according to the SEL perspective. Nevertheless, teachers are sometimes confused and it is not easy for them to understand which of the different programs are more effective or which ones are more suited to the needs of the specific context in which they operate. The paper will present the results of a systematic review conducted following the integrative review method, which investigates both the empirical and theoretical-descriptive literature in order to put the academic reflection at the service of teachers’ professional practices. The review question aim is to identify the effective educational practices in order to promote social emotional learning (SEL) in the 6- 10 age group, with particular reference to school contexts. We conducted the search of the records through disciplinary and generalist databases and with the use of digital libraries. The analysis of the material thus obtained has made possible to identify the best practices that can be put at the service of teachers for the construction of paths aimed at promoting socio-emotional skills. The paper presents the method of the carried out analysis and the characteristics of the identified projects, of which the structural elements will be highlighted (educational objectives, implementation phases, materials, etc.), and if and how these programs have been investigated to verify their effectiveness.