The level of Knowledge of High School Principals Regarding of the concept of Social and Emotional Learning and Its Applications in Light of Certain Variables

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the level of knowledge of high school principals regarding social and emotional learning, both conceptually and practically, and to reveal the impact of certain demographic and organizational variables on this knowledge. To achieve this, a descriptive survey methodology was used, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of (47) male and female principals from high schools implementing learning disabilities programs in Riyadh region. The results showed that the principals' knowledge of the concept of social and emotional learning was at the level of general knowledge and did not reach the level of conceptual mastery. However, the school principals demonstrated a good level of practice in activating the roles of the school, teachers, and the community in supporting social and emotional learning. Nevertheless, the results indicated that enhancing direct applied knowledge and developing executive administrative procedures remains a fundamental requirement for achieving more effective and sustainable implementation within school environments. The results also showed a significant effect of school classification, as schools classified within the advanced and distinguished performance levels showed higher practices in social and emotional learning, as well as being affected by the experience of the managers; as an increase in years of experience was associated with a higher level of theoretical and applied knowledge among managers.