EXPLORING OTHERNESS THROUGH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL): AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ REFLECTIONS AND CHOICE OF TOPIC

<doi>10.24250/jpe/si/2025/GM/</doi>

Abstract

This article will explore students’ choice of topics and their
reflections in a course on Otherness taught to a class of
pre-service teachers of English as a Foreign Language
(EFL). Tenets of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) were
used in teaching a seminar in English (the students’ L2),
focusing on self-awareness, self-management and social
awareness. Several theories of Otherness coupled with
literary and media examples were presented, and the
students then had a free choice of topics for research from
eight categories of Otherness: age, gender, disability,
race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status,
religion, and supernatural Otherness. The students’
(N=90) choice of topics between 2020-2023 revealed that
most students avoided culturally sensitive topics such as
religion and sexual orientation, and mostly opted for
professionally motivated research subjects in the field of
education such as mental and physical disability. A
qualitative analysis of their reasons for choosing the topics
revealed three categories: personal, professional and
ethical. In addition, students’ responses to the course
revealed that choosing their own topic led to both
motivation and enjoyment of the course. Finally, the
importance of allowing students to choose a topic in
Higher Education will be discussed, as well as the
implications for SEL in the EFL classroom.