What Do I Know About Social-Emotional Learning: A Comparative Analysis Between Public and Private Preschool Teachers in Punjab

The primary objective is to compare the difference in preschool teachers’ understanding of the five competencies of social-emotional learning (SEL) in India. The purpose is to assist teachers in reflecting on their emotions and knowledge about SEL, which is important for their personal and professional development. However, the research on preschool teachers’ own SEL is very limited in the state of Punjab in India. Therefore, this study examined 90 teachers’ understanding of SEL via a survey and a self-reported questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and parametric t-test in SPSS. The results revealed that private preschool teachers of the Ludhiana and Patiala districts of Punjab have better knowledge about the competencies of SEL than public preschool teachers. The findings highlight the need to improve the SEL of both public and private preschool teachers, focusing on public preschool teachers through continuous and effective training interventions.