Study of Social-Emotional Learning Practices in Private Nursery Schools in Ogun State

Social-emotional learning in early childhood provides the relational and self-regulatory foundations that support academic and life outcomes, and assessing SEL practice quality in private nursery schools in Ogun State informs a rapidly expanding private ECD sector in South West Nigeria. This study assessed the implementation of social-emotional learning practices in private nursery schools in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, and Abeokuta Local Government Areas, Ogun State. A mixed-methods design combined structured classroom observations of 25 sessions across 15 schools with questionnaires completed by 30 teachers. Results showed that emotion coaching by teachers was observed in only 17 percent of interactions involving child distress. Structured SEL circle time was practised in only 20 percent of schools. Conflict resolution was addressed through punishment rather than guided problem-solving in 70 percent of observed incidents. Teacher understanding of SEL as a distinct curriculum domain was limited, with 63 percent describing it as character training. The study concludes that SEL practice in Ogun State private nursery schools is largely implicit and inconsistent. Recommendations include SEL training for nursery teachers, a structured daily SEL session in the curriculum, and inclusion of SEL indicators in Ogun State private school inspection criteria to make social-emotional learning a standard accountability expectation.

Keywords: social-emotional learning, private nursery schools, Ogun State, SEL practices, early childhood