Exploring the Challenges of Social-Emotional Learning Integration in Secondary Schools: A Phenomenological Research in Vietnam

INTRODUCTION: With the advantage of the restructured education in Vietnam, the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework has been gradually piloting applied into the educational curriculum. However, the SEL integration is only effective in primary school. METHODS: This study applied qualitative phenomenological research, which used in-depth interviews with students and core teachers who have experienced SEL from previous studies to explore and explain the SEL integration is not successful at the secondary level. FINDINGS: Four findings showed the current challenges of SEL’s integration in Vietnamese educational curriculum: 1) the incompatibility between the current curriculum and the teachers’ pedagogical capacity; 2) the perceived difficulties in integrating SEL into educational activities; 3) the limited focus on understanding the students’ psychology; and 4) students cannot develop their social-emotional competence. DISCUSSION: When the challenges can be solved, corresponding to the solutions discussed, can the SEL framework be properly integrated into Vietnamese education, as well as designing an integrated continuous SEL-orientated curriculum across school levels, meeting the requirements of the new educational curriculum.