Social Emotional Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Framework for West Bengal's Institutions

Social Emotional Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Framework for West Bengal's Institutions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Social Emotional Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Framework for West Bengal's Institutions Rupam Kumar Saha, Dr. Preet Kanwal This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8978084/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The global mental health crisis among higher education students has reached critical proportions, with anxiety, depression, and loneliness escalating dramatically over the past decade. While Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has demonstrated efficacy in school-based settings, its application within higher educational institutions remains significantly under-theorized, particularly in the Global South and specifically within the Indian context. This study employs a rigorous methodological triangulation approach, integrating: (1) a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 187 peer-reviewed studies (2010-2025) from 23 countries following PRISMA guidelines, including a meta-analysis of 27 quantitative studies and meta-synthesis of 52 qualitative studies; (2) multiple case study analysis of three diverse international contexts (Singapore's MOE SEL Framework, University of British Columbia's Well-being Strategic Plan, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences' Student Support Systems); and (3) in-depth qualitative interviews with 42 students across three premier Kolkata institutions (St. Xavier's University, Presidency University, and Lady Brabourne College), analyzed using constructivist grounded theory with systematic member checking and respondent validation. The SLR identifies four critical gaps in existing SEL scholarship: developmental inappropriateness for emerging adults, individualistic focus obscuring structural factors, Western-centric cultural assumptions, and inequality blindness. Triangulation across literature, cases, and interviews—documented in a comprehensive triangulation matrix—reveals that student emotional well-being is shaped by invisible emotional navigation work, covert peer infrastructures, competency dissonance between family and institutional cultures, and institutional emotional architectures. Based on these integrated findings, we propose a comprehensive, contextually grounded SEL framework for West Bengal's Higher Education Institutes comprising four interconnected components with testable theoretical propositions: (1) Institutional Emotional Architecture addressing pedagogical practices, assessment regimes, physical spaces, and cultural norms; (2) Covert SEL Infrastructure Support cultivating peer micro-communities; (3) Competency Dissonance Navigation addressing cultural mismatches for first-generation and marginalized students; and (4) Stratified Burden Recognition acknowledging how socioeconomic background, caste, gender, and first-generation status shape emotional experience. The framework includes implementation fidelity indicators, cost-effectiveness considerations, and policy implications for Indian higher education, moving beyond individual skill-building toward institutional transformation. The study offers actionable strategies for university administrators, faculty, and policymakers addressing the student mental health crisis in the distinctive West Bengal context while providing theoretical propositions testable across Global South contexts. Management Social Emotional Learning student mental health educational psychology meta-analysis triangulation Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8978084","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":598076228,"identity":"d1d746b9-be8a-4a2f-beb0-c0680926ba86","order_by":0,"name":"Rupam Kumar Saha","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCAxCKmYHBBkgxNh4gRUsaSEsDSVoOI/OxA/MZuQc/3ThzOJp/9vGHnwtqztutbT8MtKXGJhqXFpkbecnSOTcO5844l2MsPePY7eRtZxKBWo6l5Tbg0CIhkWMgnfPhcG7DGR4GaR6228lmB4BaGBsO49Ni/BukZf4Z9se/ef6dSzY7/5CgFjOwwzacYTCT5m07YGd2g5AtPO/SrHPOpOduPMNjZs3bl5xgdgNoSwI+v7DnHr6dc8w6dx7QYbd5vtnZm51Pf/jgQ40NTi0MDDyo3ESwygScyrFoscereBSMglEwCkYkAADe4GcXs1HJRAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1727-6504","institution":"Lovely Professional University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rupam","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Saha","suffix":""},{"id":598076239,"identity":"b1f7e95f-e0d3-4021-8164-f703adffdf77","order_by":1,"name":"Dr. Preet Kanwal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lovely Professional University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"Dr.","firstName":"Preet","middleName":"","lastName":"Kanwal","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-26 13:11:32","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":true,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8978084/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8978084/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103724717,"identity":"e21816d9-f129-44c6-a4e0-7a65a0e9291f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-02 08:04:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":582930,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SocialEmotionalLearninginHigherEducationASystematicLiteratureReviewandFrameworkforWestBengalsInstitutions.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8978084/v1_covered_7f33ed4d-689a-4671-bfe5-68c0b9da494b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocial Emotional Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Framework for West Bengal's Institutions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Lovely Professional University","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Social Emotional Learning, student mental health, educational psychology, meta-analysis, triangulation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8978084/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8978084/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe global mental health crisis among higher education students has reached critical proportions, with anxiety, depression, and loneliness escalating dramatically over the past decade. While Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has demonstrated efficacy in school-based settings, its application within higher educational institutions remains significantly under-theorized, particularly in the Global South and specifically within the Indian context. This study employs a rigorous methodological triangulation approach, integrating: (1) a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 187 peer-reviewed studies (2010-2025) from 23 countries following PRISMA guidelines, including a meta-analysis of 27 quantitative studies and meta-synthesis of 52 qualitative studies; (2) multiple case study analysis of three diverse international contexts (Singapore's MOE SEL Framework, University of British Columbia's Well-being Strategic Plan, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences' Student Support Systems); and (3) in-depth qualitative interviews with 42 students across three premier Kolkata institutions (St. Xavier's University, Presidency University, and Lady Brabourne College), analyzed using constructivist grounded theory with systematic member checking and respondent validation. 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