Cultivating Social-emotional Development Through Personal Connections: The Narratives Of High School Graduates

Abstract

Adolescence is a period of life for self-exploration and social development (Williamson et al., 2015). The hope is that during this journey, teenagers develop the social and emotional skills they will need later in life. This qualitative study invited 15 former students to reflect on the experiences that contributed to their social-emotional development. The participants of this study graduated from a secondary school in California between 2007 and 2016. Narrative inquiry captured a series of events former students perceived to be pivotal to their own social and emotional learning (SEL). Using a strengths-based approach helped to identify the social behaviors and practices that promote SEL during adolescence. Findings suggest that healthy SEL is based on the quality of social interactions among family, school, and peers are significant to SED. For the participants of this study quality relationships are characterized by a sense of belonging, access to information and knowledge, self-exploration, and acknowledgment. These four social factors foster SEL and are essential to building relationships with teenagers.