Mapping the Evolution of Social and Emotional Learning Research in Primary Education Contexts: A Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis.

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and thematic analysis of social and emotional learning (SEL) research in primary education, aiming to map its evolution, key contributors, and conceptual structure. Drawing on 915 peer-reviewed articles published between 1983 and 2025, retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus, the analysis employed performance metrics, science mapping, and thematic clustering techniques. Findings reveal a marked acceleration in SEL publications since the mid-2010s, with the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia leading both in research output and collaborative networks. Science mapping identified concentrated author and institutional clusters, while also highlighting geographic disparities in global research participation. Thematic analysis uncovered a shift from early focuses on behavioral and emotional regulation toward systemic, school-based interventions emphasizing mental health, resilience, professional development and family engagement. Clustering results positioned 'social-emotional learning' as the densest yet fragmented basic theme, reflecting its structural centrality alongside persistent conceptual dispersion across intervention models, implementation processes, and target populations. This study's findings offer a macro-level synthesis of the SEL research landscape in primary education with the related implications being discussed.