(Special Issue) Exploration of Social and Emotional Learning Programs and Intervention for Students With Special Education Needs
Author: Qian-Yun Chen (Department of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University), Huei-Mei Liu (Department of Special Education / Social Emotional Education and Development Center, National Taiwan Normal University)
Vol.&No.：Vol. 70, No. 3
Date：September 2025
Pages：63-97
DOI：https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202509_70(3).0003
Abstract：
Research Background
Social and emotional competence is not only crucial for students’ performance in school, but its impact can also extend well into adulthood. Therefore, schools need to promote the development of students’ social-emotional skills. Schools must place greater emphasis on cultivating these abilities in students receiving special education services.
Special education students include those with disabilities, those who are gifted, as well as twice-exceptional students-those who possess both disabilities and giftedness. For students with various types of disabilities, social and emotional competence is often an area of weakness. Although some literature argues that gifted students do not have disadvantages in social emotional abilities, other literature argues that gifted students may have poor social emotional abilities in certain situations. Similarly, twice-exceptional students also have a clear need for support in developing social and emotional competence.
Schools can enhance students' social and emotional competence through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs. SEL refers to the process through which children, adolescents, and adults acquire and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, empathize with others, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. It has become a globally recognized and emphasized educational priority. However, SEL-related research on special education students was relatively scarce.
Research Purpose
This paper aims to review and discuss relevant literature from several perspectives: the relationship between SEL and students in special education, the implementation methods of SEL programs, the effects of SEL programs on special education students, and the current status of SEL programs centered on special education students. Through this review, the paper seeks to highlight the relevance of SEL to special education and to explore in greater depth the importance and application of SEL programs within the field of special education.
Methods
This study aims to review SEL programs in special education through literature analysis and discussion, highlighting their relevance and examining their importance and applications in the field.
Results and Discussions
1. The Relationship Between SEL and Students in Special Education
In general, SEL emphasizes the acquisition of social and emotional skills within a safe and supportive environment. These core competencies include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Students with disabilities and twice-exceptional students often require more intensive support across all five of these domains. Although gifted students may not experience difficulties in every area, targeted interventions addressing each of these SEL competencies can still be highly beneficial for them. It can be seen that the connotation of SEL is very important to special education students. Applying SEL programs to the field of special education should be of great benefit to special education students.
2. The Implementation Methods of SEL Programs
Most SEL programs focus on universal prevention, hoping to prevent behavioral problems by improving children’s social and emotional skills and preventing maladaptive and inappropriate behaviors. SEL programs should be designed to meet students’ varying needs by providing comprehensive and continuous services. Comprehensive and continuous SEL services are typically structured across three systemic tiers. Tier 1 targets all students, emphasizing the creation of supportive learning environments and the teaching of social and emotional skills. Tier 2 serves students who are considered at risk, offering more frequent or intensive, small-group interventions focused on social emotional skills. Tier 3 supports students who are already exhibiting behavioral problems, providing highly individualized and intensive interventions tailored to their specific needs.
One of the strategies commonly used in SEL programs is for teachers to teach students contextually and culturally appropriate social emotional skills through systematic instruction and help students complete imitation and practice so that they can apply social emotional skills in daily life. Another frequently used strategy focuses on fostering social and emotional development by creating safe and caring environments.
SEL is a multi-layered framework, and its implementation can encounter various challenges. Schools need to make reasonable adjustments based on the specific needs and feedback of implementers and students, which is the key to maintaining the quality of SEL programs.
3. The Effects of SEL Programs on Special Education Students
Students in special education can effectively enhance their social and emotional competence through SEL programs. The impact of SEL programs on students with disabilities mainly lies in behavioral performance, social relationship building, and academic performance. For gifted students, the effects of SEL interventions are mainly observed in emotional regulation, social relationship building, and academic performance. Although the areas of impact may vary slightly across different student populations, the benefits of SEL interventions are positive. As for twice-exceptional students, although existing research is relatively limited, it can still be found that integrating SEL into teaching can help them think positively and improve their confidence. Therefore, SEL program intervention has positive intervention benefits for special education students.
4. The Current Status of SEL Programs Centered on Special Education Students
Discussions on intervention programs and effectiveness designed with special education students as the core are relatively scarce, which deserves continued exploration in the future.
According to previous studies on SEL interventions for various categories of special education students reveals notable differences in research focus. Students with disabilities are often more likely to experience emotional difficulties; however, due to the lack of effective tools to measure their emotional states, it is challenging to examine the specific impact of SEL programs on their emotional well-being. Research on SEL interventions for gifted students is also relatively limited, with few studies exploring behavioral changes resulting from SEL implementation in this group. Moreover, there are great differences among different types of special education students, but there are few studies that conduct comprehensive and in-depth explorations into the SEL needs, implementation methods and intervention effects of a certain type of special education students, nor are there any studies that compare different types of special education students. Research focusing on the effects of SEL interventions for twice-exceptional students is even more limited. On the other hand, further research can be conducted to explore the impact of specific skills included in SEL on special education students to help teachers make curriculum adjustments.
Summary
In the field of special education in Taiwan, although there have been practices and studies that align with SEL implementation strategies, there is still a lack of systematic approaches, and empirical research in this area remains underdeveloped. SEL programs not only align with the concepts of Taiwan’s existing special needs curricula but also offer complementary effects to address gaps in these programs. However, this requires more research to understand how to effectively implement SEL programs within the special education field and assess their impact. Additionally, sufficient teacher training programs are needed to help both special education and general education teachers use SEL programs to support special education students.
Future suggestions
It is suggested that future research will be more systematic in exploring the impact of SEL programs on special education students and in determining how SEL can be effectively applied within the field of special education.
Keywords：disability, gifted and talented, social and emotional learning, special education