Educating for well-being: A systemic, culturally responsive SEL intervention for educators in Mexico. Results from a large-scale pilot study

Abstract

This large-scale real-world pilot study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence on the efficacy of "Educating for Well-being" (EW), a comprehensive and culturally responsive social-emotional learning (SEL) intervention for preschool educators from general and indigenous schools in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The program comprised two components: an 80-hour professional development for educators (ET; n = 521) followed by a 60-hour systemic leadership training (LT; n = 126) for a subset of educators who participated in the ET. Data was collected through pre- and post-program surveys, measuring changes in educators' social-emotional competencies, psychological well-being, and schoolwide SEL implementation processes. Results indicate high feasibility and acceptability for both ET and LT components, with significant improvements in educators' self-efficacy, psychological distress, and various social-emotional competencies after the ET and significant improvements in key activities for SEL schoolwide implementation after the LT. This study provides preliminary evidence of the program's effectiveness and potential to empower educators to promote culturally responsive SEL practices in Indigenous and non-indigenous educational settings, equipping them to actively work towards narrowing the academic gap between both populations. Future research should include randomized controlled trials and longitudinal follow-up assessments to further examine EW’s impact on educator and student outcomes. This article contributes to the current body of knowledge in systemic, culturally responsive adult SEL, addressing its need in Latin America, particularly its impact on the indigenous population, where the inequalities are even more severe than in the general population.

Impact statement

This large-scale pilot study provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence on the efficacy of the 'Education for Wellbeing' program, which includes a SEL-focused professional development course and systemic leadership training for both the general population and Indigenous communities from Mexico.