SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AWARENESS OF UNDERGRADUATES IN MALAYSIA: A CASE OF A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become widely recognised as an essential component of education, equipping students with life skills such as self-awareness, self-management, and responsible decision-making. Although SEL is generally used in Malaysian special education, there is still little integration of this approach in higher education. A study by Ganasan et al. (2022) examined the implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies among speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL) within the Malaysian higher education institution context and the findings indicated that while SEL interventions, such as enhancing self-awareness and self-management, positively impacted students' public speaking anxieties, such practices are not practiced  extensively across tertiary institutions. This study aims to describe the present SEL levels among Malaysian undergraduates. Self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making are the five fundamental SEL aspects evaluated via the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework survey. The results show that students' SEL competencies vary, with significant strengths in relational and social awareness skills but has potential for growth in self-management and responsible decision-making. The findings also highlight how SEL integration allow students to become more emotionally resilient, achieve better academic results, and be more prepared for the workplace.