Building teachers’ socio-emotional competence to create a safe language environment in higher school

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies in the training of foreign language teachers, as well as to analyse the level of their SEC. The research employed theoretical and methodological analysis, content analysis of the curricula of five leading departments, as well as a questionnaire survey of 38 teachers from different regions of Ukraine. Considerable attention was paid to the use of digital tools (Jamboard, Padlet, Quizlet, podcasts), which were integrated into curricula to support students’ emotional engagement. The results showed that SEL strategies, in particular the Emotional Thermometer, Pause for Reflection, and Empathetic Restatement, were used weekly by 65%, 58%, and 50% of the surveyed teachers, respectively, demonstrating a high potential for adaptation in multilingual courses while preserving their didactic essence. The practical value of the study is the recommendations for unifying approaches to SEL and implementing digital resources to improve foreign language teaching methods.