The Challenges and Opportunities of SEL Research: Be prepared to listen.
For the past year, Patricia Cabrerizo has been engaging in a study, led by the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child and in partnership with UNESCO’s Horizontes program, on understanding local perceptions of social and emotional skills in rural communities of two regions in Peru (Cusco and Piura). Her research has highlighted many of the challenges of qualitative research while also illuminating helpful considerations for practitioners looking to do similar research in their own contexts.
Ask someone to describe Peru’s culture, and you will be hard-pressed to find a succinct answer. Peru displays incredible diversity in geography , food language, and ethnicities. While this richness of culture characterizes Peru well, it can also pose great challenges for qualitative research, especially in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL).
