Making English Less Scary:

Effects of Social Emotional Learning

Integrated Language Teaching on
Secondary School Students of Nurbuling
Manichaur Secondary School, Nepal

Sreemoyee Basu (1637258)

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Research Problem

A wide disparity in the listening and speaking proficiency

levels of inter-grade learners, which can be attributed to a)
social and b) affective reasons. This study mainly concerns
itself with affective barriers such as language attitudes,
negative self-beliefs, negative attitude towards target
language, low self-esteem, and anxiety that inhibit learners
from achieving target proficiency.

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Research Questions
1. Are concerns about inter-grade language proficiency
of the target group at Nurbuling Manichaur
Secondary School related to affect?
2. Can a curriculum that integrates Social Emotional
Learning with Listening and Speaking skills help to
address concerns of affect and in turn increase
language proficiency?
3. If it can help, what are the factors of Social
Emotional Learning that help to address affect and in
effect, cause measurable change in listening and
speaking skills of the students?

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Aims and Objectives

To explore the effects of SEL in reducing the disparity

between proficiency levels of the students.

Assuming that the disparity between proficiency levels was

owing to social and affective reasons, the study attempted to
mitigate negative affect towards target language acquisition
by applying SEL curriculum and pedagogy. It targeted
language attitudes and confidence in language production.

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Theoretical Framework: Social Emotional Learning

SEL “is the process whereby children are able to acknowledge

and manage their emotions, recognize the emotions of others,
develop empathy, make good decisions, establish positive
friendship, and handle challenges and situations effectively”
(CASEL, 2003)

Creating an Emotionally Healthy Classroom (Gutteridge and

Smith, 2010). Core Emotions: Happiness, Courage, Fear and
Anger.

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Literature Review
The review of literature for this study can be categorized under
four main area:
1. Social Emotional Learning – CASEL, Gutteridge and Smith
(2010) Caldarella, Christensen, Kramer & Kronmiller (2009)
2. Conceptualizing Affect – Krashen (1985), Stevick (1980),
Arnold (2011), Fleckenstein (2006), Bartlett (1932)
3. Humanistic Language Teaching– were Gattegno (1972),
Curran (1972), Moskowitz (1978), and Stevick (1980, 1990).
4. Current ELT Practices in Nepal – Davies (2009) Sah (2014),
Kumar (n.d), Prem Phyak, Bal Krishna Sharma and Shyam
Sharma (2014), Dinesh Kumar Thapa (n.d),

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Methodology

Pre Tests:
TOEFL based Listening and Speaking Proficiency Tests
Adaptation of the 30-item self-report questionnaire, The Positive Affect
Negative Affect Schedule– Child Form (PANAS-C)
Intervention: Activities based on Creating an Emotionally Healthy
Classroom (Gutteridge and Smith, 2010). Core Emotions:
Happiness, Courage, Fear and Anger. Vocabulary Building through
Role Plays and
Learner Narratives
Post Tests: Secondary adaptation of the pre-tests that will determine
changes in both listening and speaking proficiency levels as well as
positive and negative affect as experienced during the course of the
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Data Interpretation

• The quantitative data collected through the pre and post tests
studied for correlation between the cumulative scores for
affect and language.
• A Pareto Analysis was also conducted of the affect scores to
determine the factors that have the most influence on learning
abilities.
• Detailed case by case distinction in order to answer the
question of how SEL addresses affect was attempted through
the interpretation of qualitative data collected through
journaling, tasks and recordings of learner narratives.

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Quantitative Findings

• There is a positive correlation between positive affect

and performance. Of the 9 students whose scores
improved, 6 exhibited an increase in positive affect.

• The relation between negative affect and performance is

less direct. 11 out of 16 students experienced an increase
in negative affect during the 10-day experiment.
However, not all of them had the same reaction to
increase in negative affect.

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Quantitative Findings

Of the 5 students who experienced a fall in positive affect, 2

exhibited fall in performance, 2 an improvement, while 1
remained constant. The highest fall was experienced by
student 14 at 7 points and she exhibited a fall in
performance by 1 point. However, the second highest fall
was in student 11 at 5 points and she exhibited an
improvement in performance by 1 point.

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Findings from Pareto Analysis of PANAS-C

The most significant factors that influenced negative affect at the
entry level test:-
guilt, fear, nervousness, and shame.
The most significant factors that influenced negative affect at the
exit level test:-
anger, guilt, shame, loneliness, and upset.
The most important factors determining the positive affect score at
entry level test:-
happiness, energy, delight, and excitement.
The most important factors determining the positive affect score at
exit level test:-
happiness, excitement, interest, and cheer.
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Findings from Qualitative Data

1. Compulsory imposition of English in conducting the

morning assemblies is a source of embarrassment for the
students as the language comes to be associated with the
harrowing experience of public speaking.
2. Language teaching in the school largely follows the
traditional Grammar Translation Method. Pedagogy and
assessment are both geared at improving grammatical
concepts rather than improving language skills.
3. Lack of a broader and more sustainable motivation for
language acquisition.
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Effects of Personality Types on Language Learning

1. Students who are better proficient in English from the

start are those who have higher self-worth, clearer goals,
and a drive to fulfil those goals (Students 12, 10, 14, 11,
3, 4, 6). There is a distinct difference between
extroverted students and introverted students.
2. Students 8, 1, 15, 5, 7, 16, and 13 are the introverts of
the class (although that does not necessarily correspond
with self-esteem issues). The majority remains
extroverted (Students 9 and 2 are also extroverts,
although not necessarily with high self-esteem)
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Implications

1. For Curriculum- An inclusive curriculum would address

emotional and cognitive issues
2. Teacher training- teachers need to trained to handle the
emotional demands of the students, also to be able to
identify the emotional needs and their impact on
learning.
3. Institutions- Need to provide space in the curriculum for
SEL based pedagogy
4. Learners- better emotional temperature would lead to
better learning and develop well balanced individuals.
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Bibliography
Arnold, Jane ed. (1999). Affect in Language Learning. London: Cambridge UP.
Arnold, Jane. 2011. Attention to Affect in Language Learning. Anglistik. International Journal of
English Studies, 22/1,11-22.
Bartlett, Frederic. (1932). Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. London:
Cambridge UP.
Collaborative of Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL)
http://www.casel.org/what-is-sel/ Date of Access: 20.8.2017
Curran, C. A. Counseling-learning: A whole-person model for education. New York: Grune and
Stratton. (1972).
Davies, Alan. ‘Professional Advice and Political Imperatives’ in The Politics of Language
Education: Individuals and Institutions. ed. J. Charles Alderson. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
(2009).
Dickinson, L. (1987). Self-Instruction in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Fleckenstein, K.S. (2006). Defining affect in relation to cognition: A response to Susan McLeod.
JAC, 11(2).

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Bibliography cont.
Gutteridge, Daphne and Vivien Smith. (2010). Creating an Emotionally Healthy Classroom.
London: Routledge.
Nóirín Hayes, Perspectives on the relationship between education and care in early childhood.
Dublin: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. (2007).
Gadd, N. Towards less humanistic English teaching. ELT Journal, 52,(3), 1998, 223-33. doi:
10.1093/elt/52.3.223.
Gattegno, C. Teaching foreign languages in schools: The silent way. New York: Educational
Solutions Inc. (1972).
Kandel, Rajan Kumar. Resolving ELT Challenges Through Critical Thinking Strategies. Journal of
NELTA Surkhet: 4. (2014).
Kumar, Sajan.
http://www.academia.edu/4657304/STOP_CHANTING_THE_SAME_OLD_MANTRA_TIME_T
O_DECONSTRUCT_ELT_IN_NEPAL
. Date of access: 18.6.2017
Krashen, Stephen. The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. New York: Longman. (1985).
Maslow, A. H. Toward a psychology of being. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand. (1962).
Moskowitz, G. Caring and sharing in the foreign language class: A sourcebook on humanistic
techniques. Massachusetts: Newbury House. (1978).
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Bibliography cont.
Noddings, N. (2003). Happiness and Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Phyak, Prem, Bal Krishna Sharma and Shyam Sharma. Shifting Focus: Building ELT Practices
and Scholarship from the Ground Up.
https://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/shifting-focus-building-elt-practices-and-scholars
hip-from-the-ground-up/
. Date of access: 25.6.2017.
Rogers, C. R. Client-centered therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.(1951).
Sah, Pramod Kumar.
https://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/need-of-evolution-continuing-the-discourse-to-pr
actice-for-local-elt-practices-in-nepal/
Date of access: 22.6.2017
Stevick, E. W. Teaching languages: A way and ways. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. (1980).
Stevick, E. W. Humanism in language teaching: A critical perspective. Oxford: Oxford University
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Thapa, Dinesh Kumar,
http://www.academia.edu/9490230/A_Reform_Agenda_in_ELT_in_Nepal_Proposal_for_Creating
_ELT_Resource_Centre_in_the_System_of_Education
. Date of access: 16.6.2017
Young, Dolly Jesusita. (1999). Affect inExcellence and Service
Foreign Language and Second Language Learning.
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Thank you!

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