Teachers’ Perceptions and Pedagogical Practices Regarding Social and Emotional Learning for Refugee and Migrant Girls.

In the UK, one in six children has a diagnosable mental health disorder; for refugee and migrant girls though, this number is much higher. The rising mental ill-health in children, combined with the rising number of displaced people globally, has pressured high-income countries like the United Kingdom (UK) to find solutions. For refugee and migrant girls, who are less likely to access mental health treatment, schools are the most realistic place for interventions designed to support mental ill-health. Social-emotional skills curriculum has been linked to increased well-being and less mental ill-health. Unfortunately, there is significant variation in the effectiveness of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools, some believe this is related to teacher commitment and skills; while others think this is related to student characteristics like gender and ethnicity. The multi-disciplinary research presented in this thesis explores teachers’ perspectives and pedagogical practices around SEL for refugee and migrant girls. Using a mixed-methods survey and interviews, this research explored teachers’ perspectives on issues of equity, migration, and social-emotional skills and how these perspectives impact pedagogical practices for refugee and migrant girls.