Impact of COVID and the Emergence of Social Emotional Learning on Education Majors

In March of 2020, institutions of higher education sent their students home and moved their classroom instruction online. While this prevented the spread of COVID, it caused students to face unique challenges impacting their social emotional needs and mental health. As college students returned to campus, they had to learn to navigate a “new normal”. Social emotional needs and mental health continue to be affected, which can significantly impair student’s academic success and ultimately affect their future career and personal opportunities. This was particularly true for candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs as they attempted to navigate the changing environments of both K-12 schools and higher education. Core components of teacher preparation programs are field experiences and student teaching. With the closure of schools and/or move to provide virtual instruction, clinical experiences for teacher candidates were impacted. The changing educational environments required teacher candidates to exhibit strong social emotional skills and to develop those skills in their K-12 students. A survey was conducted to examine perceptions of students majoring in education on their transition from high school to higher education and the impact of COVID on their academic performance and social and emotional well-being.