Social-emotional learning in the social education environment of Ukraine as a tool for preventing bullying

Abstract

The increase in the number of cases of aggressive behavior among students highlights the need to implement preventive measures aimed at ensuring a safe and psychologically comfortable educational environment. In this context, socio-emotional learning is particularly important as a component of educational practice that fosters emotional awareness, empathy, and constructive interaction among participants in the educational process. The purpose of the article is to comprehensively examine and determine optimal ways to implement socio-emotional learning in educational institutions to prevent bullying and create a psychologically comfortable team environment. The research methods include analyzing scientific sources on the development of emotional competence, systematizing practical approaches to preventing violence in schools, and generalizing the experience of implementing socio-emotional programs in educational institutions. The results of the study indicate that socio-emotional learning contributes to the development of self-regulation skills, empathy, effective communication, and constructive conflict resolution in students, thereby significantly reducing the risk of aggressive behavior. It has been established that the systematic implementation of such training programs allows for the timely identification of students’ emotional difficulties, the reduction of tension, and the formation of a culture of non-violent interaction. The role of the teacher in this process is to maintain psychological comfort within the team and coordinate interactions with parents and specialists from the social sphere. Conclusions. Socio-emotional training is an effective tool for preventing bullying in social education institutions, as it has a preventive impact and fosters a culture of mutual respect. Its integration into the educational process contributes to the creation of a safe, inclusive and psychologically comfortable environment provided that there is a systematic approach, methodological support and training of pedagogical personnel.