Socio-emotional Competencies in Teacher Education: Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The development of social-emotional skills is a key challenge in building democratic and healthy schools. However, research in this area is still scattered and lacks evidence. The aim is to analyze the gaps and contributions of research on social-emotional skills to identify methodological and educational implications that will guide future studies. A systematic review (2015–2023) was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, applying criteria under the PRISMA protocol. Eighty-one scientific publications were analyzed. The results show a predominance of descriptive quantitative studies, focused on self-awareness and self-regulation, with little experimental research. Gaps were identified in the evaluation of teacher performance and in the transfer of competencies to educational practice. The review highlights the need to develop contextualized training programs based on comprehensive models that articulate personal and social dimensions. It concludes that social-emotional learning should be conceived as a collective and situated process.