Abstract:

This qualitative study investigates the relationship between socio-emotional skills (SES) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teaching and learning in Italian upper secondary schools. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with 24 experienced STEM teachers (75% female, average teaching experience 12.3 years) from four schools located in both northern and southern Italy, the research explores teachers’ perceptions, current practices, and perceived obstacles in developing students’ socio-emotional competencies alongside traditional technical and cognitive skills.

The findings highlight three central themes:
(1) a unanimous and strongly felt need among participants for specific, mandatory pre-service and in-service training in socio-emotional skills — only three teachers had received any formal preparation in this area;
(2) the crucial role of empathy and emotional competence in enabling effective interdisciplinary collaboration and team teaching, which many respondents identified as a prerequisite for innovative STEM projects; and
(3) the decisive influence of school leadership in either facilitating or hindering the integration of SES, with proactive principals emerging as key enablers of professional development opportunities and pedagogical innovation.

Despite growing international recognition of social-emotional learning (SEL) and recent Italian policy signals (including PNRR-funded reforms), teachers report feeling largely unprepared to address rising student anxiety, stress, and relational difficulties exacerbated by the post-COVID context. The study concludes that meaningful integration of socio-emotional skills into STEM education requires systemic interventions: compulsory SES modules in initial and continuous teacher education, clearer curricular guidelines, structured interdisciplinary planning time, and stronger leadership support. These recommendations align with global evidence showing that socio-emotional competencies significantly enhance academic achievement, wellbeing, and long-term life outcomes, and they offer concrete guidance for policymakers and school leaders aiming to prepare students for the complex demands of the 21st-century knowledge society.

Keywords:

Emotional intelligence, STEM education, teacher competencies, secondary education.