Valuing without Support: Romanian Teachers’ Recognition of Social-Emotional Education and the Institutional Gap

Abstract

Background. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is widely endorsed in policy and curriculum, yet its benefits depend on adequately prepared and supported teachers. In Romania, SEL is formally embedded across grades I–XII, but in-service teachers’ perceptions remain under-researched. Aim. This study examined how Romanian in-service teachers perceive the importance of SEL relative to the preparation and institutional support available to them. Method. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, 67 teachers completed a survey with seven five-point Likert items and dichotomous items; five teachers were then interviewed. Likert items were analysed with non-parametric tests (Spearman’s ρ, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Fisher’s exact), and interviews with reflexive thematic analysis integrated through a joint display. Results. Teachers valued SEL almost unanimously (importance, M = 4.94) but rated institutional support lowest (M = 3.61). This value–support gap was the largest effect observed (Z = −6.09, p < .001, r = .76), alongside a significant preparedness–training gap (r = .48) and a positive knowledge–preparedness association (ρ = .51). Interviews explained these patterns, locating the barrier in infrastructure—limited time, rigid curriculum, scarce materials, and theoretical-only training—rather than in teachers’ attitudes. Conclusions. The barrier to SEL is structural, not motivational. Because the same pattern recurs across populations, closing the support gap—through applied training, protected time, materials, and counselling capacity—should take priority over efforts to raise already-high teacher endorsement.