Socio-Emotional Education as a Strategy for Transforming School Culture and Preventing Violence

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the multifaceted role of socio-emotional education in reshaping school culture and preventing violence, with particular emphasis on its contribution to building a safer, more respectful educational environment that supports comprehensive development. It is based on the premise that, in the educational landscape of the twenty-first century, socio-emotional education has moved beyond the status of a mere pedagogical trend to become an indispensable curricular and formative component, recognized for its crucial role in students’ comprehensive development. The study is a section of the author’s doctoral thesis and uses a qualitative narrative literature review methodology. The extracted information was coded and grouped into emerging thematic categories aligned with the study objectives. The findings indicate that the intentional, systematic, and cross-curricular implementation of socio-emotional practices has significant potential to deeply influence school culture; the teacher’s role as mediator, model, and facilitator of this process is central. Teacher preparation for dealing with the complexities of emotions and relationships in the classroom, including the application of restorative practices and support for all students, both victims and aggressors, is a prerequisite for socio-emotional education to produce concrete outcomes. Finally, renewed commitment is needed to integrate socio-emotional education across the curriculum and everyday pedagogical practices, involving not only teachers but the entire school community. Socio-emotional education represents a strategic investment in the future of human coexistence.