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\"Strawbridge shares his passion for this artisan ingredient, from distinctive tasting notes and profiles of different salts found around the world to useful techniques--such as brining, curing, charring and preserving--that bring out a world of hidden flavours\"--Back cover.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) practices in schools endeavor to support wellbeing and emotional intelligence in young people; they work best when implemented well. Educational leaders in K-12 settings need to have capacities to provide SEL implementation support. Surveying SEL implementation capacity can identify specific strengths and areas for improvement and monitor progress. The current study assesses the validity and reliability of a 15-item self-report scale of capacities to support SEL implementation. A sample of 507 county-, district-, and school-level K-12 educational SEL leaders completed the scale in Fall 2023. Confirmatory factor analysis was used. The SEL capacities scale contains four unique dimensions with high internal reliability: mindsets (5 items), knowledge (3 items), skills (6 items), and efficacy (1 item). The SEL capacities scale also showed consistency (e.g., factor structure invariance) across school seasons, different educational settings, roles in the education system, years of experience among leaders, and recent levels of SEL supports received. Data generated by the SEL capacities scale can be used to inform practice decisions, make comparisons across people and over time, and unearth specific mechanisms of change related to developing adult SEL capacities to provide SEL implementation support.

The papers in the current edition illustrate the Journal’s versatility and broad reach both in terms of academic areas of study and cross-cultural contexts. The papers include an experimental study on cognitive processes underlying text anxiety amongst engineering students in Mexico, a survey study examining the protective and risk factors of Bicycle Motocross amongst young people and adults in Australia, a study on how affective empathy and self-compassion mediate the emotional problems faced by adolescents in Vietnam, an evaluation of a social and emotional programme in Portugal, a study on emotional competencies and emotional coeducation amongst university students in Spain, a phenomenological study on the experiences of Syrian refugee children living in Turkey, and a detailed psychometric analysis on the adaptation and validation of a scale for early educators in Turkey.

This meta-analysis summarized the effects of universal and targeted social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions in 48 studies on the development of social and emotional skills and the reduction of problem behaviors in 15,498 preschool students. For universal SEL interventions delivered to all students, a random-effects model with 33 primary studies showed small to medium effects for the overall development of social and emotional skills (Hedges’s g = .34) and for the reduction of problem behaviors (g = .32), with an overall grand mean of g = .35. For targeted interventions, delivered to at-risk students identified as being in need of additional supports, a random-effects model with 15 primary studies showed medium effects for the overall development of social and emotional skills (Hedges’s g = .44) and for the reduction of problem behaviors (g = .50), with an overall grand mean of g = .48. A meta-regression model showed that intervention program accounted for 83% of heterogeneity in the overall effect size for universal interventions. Overall, this meta-analysis demonstrated that preschool children benefit from SEL interventions in different contexts, particularly those who were identified as being in need of early intervention. Moreover, best practices for preschool SEL interventions may differ from best practices for K–12 students, given the developmental uniqueness of the preschool years.

Teachers’ social-emotional competence (SEC) underpins students’ SEC, and selfassessment helps educators identify strengths and areas for improvement. Our study adapted CASEL’s Personal SEL Reflection tool for the Estonian educational context. Data from 528 primary and secondary school teachers resulted in a refined and shortened 15-item instrument with five CASEL core factors. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a five-factor structure with good internal consistency and convergent validity (α = .74–.89; ω = .64–.81; AVE = .49–.73). The study establishes the reliability and validity of this culturally adapted tool for self-assessment purposes and highlights its potential for professional growth and teacher development initiatives. Keywords: SEC; Psychometrics; Factor analysis; Personal SEL Reflection; CASEL.

Underwater noise has become a critical issue in oceanographic and marine ecological research because of increasing anthropogenic activities such as commercial shipping, offshore operations, and coastal infrastructure development. The Makassar Strait, a major international shipping corridor connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, is subject to intense vessel traffic that significantly contributes to acoustic pressure in the marine environment. This study quantifies and characterizes underwater noise levels in the Makassar Strait using in situ hydrophone measurements and acoustic spectral and statistical analyses conducted at 19 observation stations. The results indicate elevated sound pressure levels in proximity to the primary shipping lanes, with dominant acoustic energy concentrated below 1 kHz, consistent with large-vessel noise signatures. While propagation analysis suggests that the recorded noise levels do not exceed the temporary or permanent threshold shift criteria for marine mammals based on the NMFS (2024) guidelines, several locations exhibit high sound exposure levels that may increase the potential for behavioral disturbance and acoustic masking. These findings highlight the ecological significance of underwater noise in the Makassar Strait, and underscore the importance of incorporating acoustic considerations into marine spatial planning and environmental management strategies in Indonesian waters.

Despite the known benefits of social-emotional learning (SEL) for children, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and multisensory SEL programs are limited. To address existing challenges in SEL for underprivileged youth, we developed the multicomponent B.E. M.Y. F.R.I.E.N.D. (BMF) framework that capitalizes on (1) cultural tailoring to foster acceptability, (2) tools and strategies to build healthy habits, (3) parental engagement using the Child-Mediated Health Communication Model, (4) social engagement of teachers via peer interaction during learning experiences, and (5) multisensory learning. Each letter (component) of the BMF stands for a unique SEL skill. To test the BMF framework, we developed a proof of concept (POC) focused on one component of the BMF—mindfulness and gratitude SEL (M-letter). The POC includes a description of immersive and interactive multimedia modules with tailor-made music, digital games, cartoons, and booster activities. The outcomes from the POC will inform the development of fully powered randomized studies of each component of BMF and, ultimately, the implementation and dissemination of the entire BMF program. The Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model (MMHEM) guided the design of the program. In the POC, we used a learning management system (LMS) platform to facilitate program scalability. The modules encompassed culturally and age-relevant real-world examples and were digitized and integrated with traditional learning approaches. This article presents qualitative and quantitative data evaluating feasibility, preliminary acceptability, and preliminary outcomes from the mindfulness and gratitude modules (letter “M” of the BMF). The studies were conducted with 4th and 5th-grade students (Studies 2–4) attending a New York City public school-affiliated after-school program in the Bronx and Queens and their teachers (Study 1). Study #1 presents the focus group data on teachers and principals; Study #2 shows the focus group data on minoritized students; Study #3 presents data from the pilot testing of study-specific outcome measures; and Study #4 presents data on the preliminary efficacy of the BMF mindfulness and gratitude modules using a within-subjects repeated measures pre-posttest study design. Results suggest that the “M” component (mindfulness and gratitude) of the BMF framework is feasible and highly engaging among minoritized children, with high acceptability among teachers and students. We also found a positive impact of the intervention on measures of gratitude and life satisfaction (preliminary efficacy).

In recent global practice, innovations in language teaching / learning go hand in hand not only with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but also with the development of Emotional Intelligence (EI), with an emphasis on the integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into the language teaching/learning process, and a shift from a four-skill model of language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) to a four-communication mode model (reception, production, interaction, and mediation) (Council of Europe, 2020). SEL encompasses five broad and interconnected domains of competences: self-knowledge, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making, which can be learned in a variety of subject areas, with students of different ages and in different cultural contexts (Durlak et al., 2024). Various methodologies can be used for developing SEL competences, for example the innovative and increasingly popular teaching method – mediation, which the CEFR defines as the ability to help people understand each other, a complex text, an idea, or a cultural aspect when they cannot communicate or understand for various reasons. In order to investigate how mediation strategies in the English language classes can facilitate socially and emotionally enhanced language learning, the present research focuses primarily on the concept of SEL and the analysis of previous research on the enhancement of SEL competences in the educational settings, presenting a large-scale study of emotional intelligence among the Lithuanian youth. The introductory part also introduces the concept of mediation, the main mediation activities and strategies, and their potential application in language teaching / learning. In order to analyse the attitudes of students (N = 58) of Vytautas Magnus University Institute of Foreign Languages (VMU UKI) towards the use of mediation as a new method in the English language classroom and to improve their mediation and SEL competences, a study was conducted. The sample consisted of 58 students, 20 of whom were studying General English at B1 level and 38 of whom were studying Academic English at C1/C2 level according to CEFR. This study also presents a self-assessment analysis of the English language learners to assess their improvement in mediation and SEL competences. A quantitative research methodology and short semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the needs, experiences and improved competences of the research participants. The results showed a positive correlation between the use of mediation strategies in the English language classes and the learners’ improved mediation and SEL competences. Based on the insights gained from the study, the paper provides practical recommendations for the use of mediation strategies in the English language classes and the development of learners’ socio-emotional competences.

Molten Salt Reactors is a comprehensive reference on the status of molten salt reactor (MSR) research and thorium fuel utilization.There is growing awareness that nuclear energy is needed to complement intermittent energy sources and to avoid pollution from fossil fuels.

Schools have become increasingly interested in social-emotional learning (SEL) over the past decade, and that interest has grown due to concern about student well-being resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is confusion around SEL. Christi Bergin, Christina Cipriano, Tia Barnes, Shannon B. Wanless, researchers who have studied and designed SEL for decades, respond to questions frequently asked by educators as they consider an SEL approach for their school. They discuss what SEL is, its benefits, how it aligns with other programs, how to select an SEL program, and where to learn more about SEL programs.